LIBRARY OF CONGRESS. | 
©Sl4l3 



80. .N* 

- \&£\ 

# UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. J 



JOB. 



NEW TRANSLATION 



OF 



THE BOOK OF JOB 



WITH AN 



INTRODUCTION, 



AND 



NOTES CHIEFLY EXPLANATORY. 



By GEORGE R. NOYES. D. D., 
• 

Hancock Prop, op Hedrew, etc., and Dexter Lecturer in Harvard 

University. 



mtvtj swfoti. 



CABEFULLY REVISED. 



BOSTON: 

JAMES MUNROE AND COMPANY. 

1861. 



.Ma 



Entered according to act of Confess in the year 186! by 
George R. Noyes. 



CAMBRIDGE : 
MILES & DILLINGHAM 
Printers and Stereotypers. 



TO 
FREDERIC HUIDEKOFER, 

OF MEADYILLE, PA., 
THIS VOLUME IS DEDICATED, 

IN TOKEN OF THE ESTEEM AND FRIENDSHIP 
OF 

GEORGE R. NOYES. 



PREFACE. 



In this third edition of the New Translation of the 
book of Job, of which the first appeared about thirty-four 
years ago, I have carefully revised the whole, re-examin- 
ing with special attention the more obscure and difficult 
passages, availing myself of whatever light has been 
thrown upon them by recent Biblical scholars, such as 
Ewald, Hirzel, Heiligstedt, Schlottmann, Conant, Renan, 
and others. When I differ from any of them on any 
important passage, it is after a deliberate examination of 
the reasons for their view of it. I have added some notes, 
altered others, and modified some of the language of the 
Introduction. It is pleasant to find a very prevalent 
coincidence between my views, in respect to various 
points both in the Introduction and the Translation, and 
those of the distinguished French orientalist, M. Renan, 
the most recent translator of Job. The principal point on 
which his opinion differs from mine, viz., the genuineness 
of the speech of Elihu, is of no great importance. Whether 
this speech be an interpolation or not, it is highly im- 

|vii] 



Vlll PREFACE. 

probable that on questionable internal grounds it will 
ever be separated from the rest of the poem. 

I had made an arrangement to publish a revised edition 
of the New Translation of the Hebrew Prophets in con- 
nection with the present work. But the death of the late 
Mr. Munroe has caused it to be given up. I take the 
liberty, therefore, to mention that I have carefully revised 
the New Translation of the Hebrew Prophets, made a 
considerable addition to the notes, and written a new and 
enlarged Introduction, containing an essay on the Pro- 
phetic dispensation among the Hebrews, including the 
Messianic predictions, in which I have aimed to leave no 
important question unanswered. Though necessarily com- 
pressed, I hope it will be found sufficiently comprehensive 
and complete to be a guide to such as have a desire to 
know the truth in relation to a difficult subject, upon 
which no satisfactory treatise exists in the English lan- 
guage. Whenever any publisher will undertake the 
printing of the work, the manuscript will be ready. 

Cambridge, June 26, 1861. 



INTRODUCTION. 



1'he work, which it is the design of the present volume to 
illustrate, is in many respects one of the most remarkable pro- 
ductions of any age or country. It is, without doubt, in its 
general plan, as well as in the rhythmical construction and high 
poetic character of its language, a work of art. Deep thought 
and long continued study must have been united with genius in 
its production. Yet has it, in a much higher degree than most 
compositions,, the freshness of an unstudied effusion of the soul 
of the author ; a soul full of the sublimest conceptions of the 
Parent of nature and his glorious works, and of true and deep 
sympathy with all that is great and amiable in the character, and 
affecting in the condition, of man. The imagination of the 
author seems to have ranged freely through every part of the 
universe, and to have enriched itself from almost every depart- 
ment of nature and of art. Whether he attempt to describe the 
residence of Him "who maintaineth peace in his high places, " 
or " the land of darkness and the shadow of death," the passions 
and pursuits of man, or the nature and features of the animal 
creation, the phenomena of the air and the heavens, or the dark 
operations of the miner, he is ever familiar with his subject, and 
seems to tell us what our eyes have seen and our ears have 
heard. And not more remarkable are the richness and vigor of 
his imagination than his power in representing the deep emotions 
and the tender affections of the soul. Admirable, too, in a 
poem of so high antiquity, is the skill with which he makes all 
the delineations of the human heart and all the descriptions of 
external nature subservient to the illustration of one important 
moral subject ; thus uniting the attributes of the poet and 
1 [1] 



2 INTRODUCTION. 

philosopher. It is true, that we miss the perfection of Grecian 
art in the structure of this work ; and his plan required him to 
set forth the general workings of the human heart, rather than 
to delineate the nicer shades of human character. It was in 
harmony with the ethical nature of the composition, that his 
characters should make speeches, rather than converse. Yet no 
one can fail to perceive the unity of design which pervades the 
work, and the adaptation of the various parts to its completion. 

The first place among the Hebrew poets has usually been as- 
signed to Isaiah. But in what respect the Great Unknown, the 
author of the book of Job, can be regarded as inferior to any 
Hebrew poet, or any other poet, unless perhaps we except Shak- 
speare, I am at a loss to conceive. In comprehensiveness of 
thought, and richness and strength of imagination, he seems to 
me to be unsurpassed, and in depth and tenderness of feeling 
incomparable, when we consider that female loveliness con- 
stitutes no part of the interest of the work. Almost every 
Christian poet has felt his influence in respect both to thought 
and expression. But to delineate the excellences and beauties 
of the book of Job is a task far beyond my capacity. They 
must be understood and felt, rather than described. 

There has been much discussion in former times, in regard to 
the particular department of poetry and literature, under which 
the book of Job should be classed. Undue importance has, 
without doubt, been attached to this question ; and the scope 
and spirit of the work have in a degree been lost sight of, in the 
eagerness to establish its claim to a particular name, or its place 
in a particular department of poetical composition. The truth 
is, that there is nothing that bears an exact resemblance to it in 
Grecian, Roman, or modern literature. It has something in 
common not only with different forms of composition, but with 
different departments of literature. Those, who have given it 
the appellation of an epic poem, have applied to it a term the 
least suited to its character, and the most unjust to its claims, 
as a work of art. They have made unimportant circumstances* 
in regard to its form of more consequence than its substantial 



INTRODUCTION. 3 

character, spirit, and design. Nothing can be more evident 
than the fact, that to excite interest in the personal fortunes of 
Job, as the hero of a poem, was not the principal design of the 
writer. Still less was it his design to unfold characteristic traits 
in the other personages introduced into the work. Some, it is 
true, have discovered, as they supposed, striking characteristic 
traits in Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar 
the Naamathite, and have pointed out the different degrees of 
severity which they exhibited towards their friend in his dis- 
tress. It appears to me that these writers have drawn largely 
upon their own imaginations to make out their representations. 
There is, no doubt, some diversity in the manner and substance 
of the discourses of the friends of Job. The author may have 
put the longest and best speeches into the mouth of an inhabitant 
of a city so famous for its wisdom as Teman * ; and to young 
Elihu, whom some regard as an interloper, thrust into the place 
he occupies by a later writer than the author, he certainly assigns 
the language of a young man who has made rather an extravagant 
estimate of his abilities and his consequence. But I seek in 
vain for evidence that the author made it a principal object to 
excite an interest in the actions or characters of the personages 
whom he introduces. 

There is more plausibility in the views of those who have re- 
garded and named the book of Job a dramatic poem. For, un- 
doubtedly, the character of Job has a tragic interest, and reminds 
one of the most interesting characters of Grecian tragedy, suffer- 
ing by the will of the Gods, or the necessities of Fate, especially 
the Prometheus Vinctus of iEschylus. In regard to its form, there 
is something resembling dialogue, and something which bears a 
distant resemblance to a prologue and epilogue. The author 
has also skilfully introduced into various parts of the work hints 
having reference to the final issue of the fortunes of Job, similar 
to those which occur in the best of the Greek tragedies, such as 
the QEdipus Tyrannus. See tih. viii. 6, 7; xvi. 19 ; xix. 25, 
&c, compared with ch. xlii. Still, to give the name of a drama 

* Jer. xlix. 7. 



4 INTRODUCTION. 

or a tragedy to this production is to give it a name from what 
is incidental to it, rather than from its pervading spirit and 
. prominent design. In fact to call it a poem of any kind fails to 
suggest the characteristic feature of the work, though it contains 
poetry, which, perhaps, has never been surpassed. 

If we have regard to the main design, the substance and 
spirit of the work, we shall refer it to the department of moral 
or religious philosophy. It contains the moral or religious 
philosophy of the time when it was produced. It is rather a 
philosophical religious discussion in a poetical form, than an 
epic poem or a drama. It is more nearly allied to the Essay on 
Man than to Paradise Lost, or Prometheus Vinctus. It is the 
effusion of the mind and heart of the author upon a moral sub- 
ject which has agitated the human bosom in every age. Still, 
the author was a poet, as well as a religious philosopher. In the 
mode of presenting the subject to his readers, he aimed, like 
other poets, to move the human feelings by exhibitions of 
passion and scenes of distress, and to please the taste by the 
sublime flights of his imagination. He aimed to give the highest 
interest to his subject by clothing his thoughts in the loftiest 
language of poetry, and arranging them in the measured rhythm 
which is one of the characteristics of Hebrew poetry. 

It might be interesting to analyze the pure religious doctrines, 
which the author held, and with wonderful liberality for one of 
his nation ascribed to Arabians, but this we must leave to the 
attentive reader of the book. It seems particularly remarkable 
that the author should ascribe Divine inspiration to Eliphaz 
tli3 Temanite. 

The special subject of this unique production is the ways of 
Providence in regard to the distribution of good and evil in the 
world, in connexion with the doctrine of a righteous retribution 
in the present life, such as seemed to be contained in the Jewish 
religion. It sets forth the struggle between faith in the perfect 
government of God, or in a righteous retribution in the present 
life, and the various doubts excited in the soul of man, by what 
it feels or sees of human misery, and by what it knows of the 



INTRODUCTION. 5 

prosperity of the contemners of God. These doubts the author 
expresses in strong and irreverent language from the lips of Job ; 
while the received doctrine of retribution, which pervades the 
Jewish religion, is maintained and reiterated from the personages 
introduced as the friends of Job. 

The subject is one which comes home to men's business and 
bosoms. Even under the light of Christianity, perhaps there 
are few who have not in peculiar seasons felt the strife between 
faith in the perfect government of God, and the various feelings 
excited in the mind by what they have experienced or witnessed 
of human suffering. The pains of the innocent, of those who 
cannot discern their right hand from their left hand, the pro- 
tracted calamities which are often the lot of the righteous, and 
the prosperity which often crowns the designs of the wicked, 
have at times excited wonder, perplexit) r , and doubt in almost 
every thinking mind. We, as Christians, silence our doubts, 
and confirm our faith, by what experience teaches us of the 
general wisdom and benevolence of the Creator, by the con- 
sideration that affliction comes from the same merciful hand 
which is the source of all the good that we have ever enjoyed, 
by the perception of the moral and religious influences of ad- 
versity, and especially by the hope of the joy in a better world 
set before those who endure to the end. The Apostle could 
say, for the consolation of himself and his fellow-sufferers, " For 
I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy 
to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us." 
And every Christian knows that the Captain of his Salvation 
ascended to his throne of glory from the ignominious cross. 
The cross is the great source of the Christian's consolation. 
But let us suppose ourselves to be deprived of those sources of 
consolation which are peculiar to a disciple of Christ, and we 
may conceive of the state of mind of the author of the book of 
Job, upon whom the sun of righteousness had never dawned. 
Is it strange that the soul of a pious Jew, who lived before 
" life and immortality were brought to light through the gospel," 
should have been agitated by the conflict between such a faith 

1* 



/ 



6 INTRODUCTION. 

in retribution as his religion seemed to require, and the doubts 
and murmur ings excited by what he felt and saw of the calami- 
ties of the righteous, and witnessed of the prosperity of the 
wicked ? One of the most enlightened of the Romans, when 
called to mourn the early loss of the children of his hopes, was 
led, as he says, almost " to accuse the gods, and to exclaim that 
no providence governed the world. v An Arabic poet, quoted 
by Dr. Pococke,* writes : 

Quot intellectu praestantes in angustias rediguntur ! 
Et suurrae stolidos invenies prospere agentes ! 
Hoc est quod animos perplexos relinquit, 
Et egregie doctos Sadducseos reddit. 

How many wise men are reduced to distress ! 
How many fools will you find in prosperity ! 
It is this that leaves the mind in perplexity, 
And makes Sadducees of very learned men. 

We think that many have stated too strongly the argument 
for the immortality of the soul, drawn from the apparent in- 
equalities of the present state. To maintain that there is little 
or no retribution in this part of the Creator's dominions appears 
to me not the best way of proving that there will be a perfect 
one in another part of them. But the sentiments referred to 
may serve to illustrate the mental condition of a pious man of 
exalted genius, who appears to have had no conception, or at least 
no belief, of a state after death that was desirable in comparison 
with the present life. 

In Ps. lxxiii. we have the thoughts which passed through the 
mind of anofcier upon the same subject : 

Yet my feet almost gave way ; 

My steps had well nigh slipped ; 

For I was envious of the profane, 

When I saw the prosperity of the wicked, &c. 

Ps. xxxvii. may also be considered as being upon the same 



* Not. in Port. Mos. C. vii Opp. p. 214 



INTRODUCTION 7 

subject, and in fact, the book of Eeelesiastes, though a more 
skeptical spirit seems to pervade the latter than either of those 
psalms, or the book of Job. 

Such being the subject which filled the mind of the author of 
Job, the question arises, how he has treated it, or what he 
aimed to accomplish in regard to it. That, in his own view, he 
had solved all the difficulties which embarrass the human un- 
derstanding in regard to it is not very probable. But that he 
proposed to establish some truths in relation to it, as well as to 
inculcate the duty of entire submission to God, and unreserved 
faith in him, is, I think, clear. I do not believe, with De 
Wette, that he means to leave the subject an utter mystery, and 
merely to bring man to a helpless consciousness of his ignorance. 
The most prominent part of the author's design is, indeed, to 
enforce the duty of unqualified submission to the will of God, 
and of reverential faith amid all the difficulties, which perplex 
the understanding. A part of it is, also, to illustrate the truth, 
that moral character is not to be inferred from outward condition ; 
that afflictions are designed as the trial of piety, and that they lead 
in the end to higher good than would otherwise be obtained, and 
thus to assert eternal providence, and justify the ways of God to 
man. And while he enforces the duty of entire submission to 
God, he also plainly intimates that unfounded censures and un- 
kind treatment of a friend in distress are more offensive to the 
Deity than those expressions of impatience which affliction may 
wring from the lips of the pious. 

The author aims to show that, in the distribution of good and 
evil in the world, God is sometimes influenced by reasons which 
man can neither discover nor comprehend, and not solely by the 
merit or demerit of his creatures ; that the righteous are often 
afflicted, and the wicked prospered ; but that this course of 
providence is perfectly consistent with wisdom, justice, and 
goodness in the Deity, though man is unable to discern the 
reasons of it ; that afflictions are often intended as the trials of 
piety and the means of moral improvement ; that man is an in- 
competent judge of the divine dispensations ; that it is his duty, 



8 INTRODUCTION. 

instead of rashly daring to penetrate, or to censure, the counsels 
of his Creator, to submit to his will, to reverence his character, 
and to obey his laws ; and that the end will prove the wisdom 
as well as the obligation of such submission, reverence, and 
obedience. 

In this view, I have taken the whole book, as we now have it, 
to be genuine. I think this supposition is attended with the 
fewest difficulties. Those who discard the speech of Elihu, the 
twenty-eighth chapter, and part of the twenty-seventh, and the 
prose introduction and conclusion, must give, of course, an ac- 
count of it somewhat different. 

In order to accomplish the design, or express the views, which 
I have exhibited, in such a manner that his work should possess 
the highest interest for his readers, the author employs a form of 
composition resembling that of the drama. He brings forward 
a personage, celebrated probably in the traditions of his country 
as distinguished for the excellence of his character, and the 
vicissitudes through which he had passed. In the delineation 
of the character and fortunes, of this pirsonage, he uses the 
liberty of a poet in stating everything in extremes, or painting 
everything in the broadest colors, that he might thus the better 
illustrate the moral truth, and accomplish the moral purpose, 
which he had in view. 

He introduces to the reader an inhabitant of the land of Uz, 
in the northern part of Arabia, equally distinguished by his 
piety and his prosperity. He was pronounced by the Searcher 
of hearts an upright and good man ; and he was surrounded 
by a happy family, and was the most wealthy of all the inhabi- 
tants of the East. 

If virtue and piety could in any case be a security against ca- 
lamity, then must Job's prosperity have been lasting. Who 
ever had more reason for expecting continued prosperity, the 
favor of men, and the smiles of providence ? " But when he 
looked for good, evil came." A single day produces a complete 
reverse in his condition, and reduces him from the height of 



INTRODUCTION. 9 

prosperity to the lowest depths of misery. He is stripped cf 
his possessions. His children, a numerous family, for whom 
he had never forgotten to offer to God a morning sacrifice, are 
buried under the ruins of their houses, which a hurricane 
levels with the ground ; and finally he is afflicted, in his own 
person, with a most loathsome and dangerous disease. Thus 
the best man in the world has become the most miserable man 
in the world. 

The reader is made acquainted in the outset with the cause of 
the afflictions of Job. At an assembly of the sons of God, or 
the inhabitants of heaven, in the presence of the Governor of 
the world, an evil spirit, Satan, the adversary in the court of 
heaven, had come, on his return from an excursion over the earth 
to present himself, or to stand in readiness to receive the com- 
mands of God. Jehovah puts the question to Satan, whether 
he had taken notice of the model of human excellence exhibited 
in the character of his servant Job, and sets forth the praise of 
the good man in terms so emphatic, as to excite the envy and 
ill-will of that suspicious accuser of his brethren. Satan in- 
timates that selfishness is the sole motive of Job's obedience ; 
that it was with views of profit, and not from sentiments of 
reverence toward God, that he paid him an outward service ; 
that if Jehovah should take away the possessions of him whom 
he believed so faithful, he would at once renounce his service. 
" Doth Job fear God for nought?" To establish the truth of 
what he had said in commendation of his servant, Jehovah is 
represented as giving permission to Satan to put the piety of 
Job to the test, by taking away at once all his possessions and 
all his children. But the evil spirit gains no triumph. Job re- 
mains true to his allegiance. He sins not even with his lips. 
There is yet another assembly of the heavenly spirits, and here 
the hateful spirit, the disbeliever in human virtue, will have it, 
that it is love of life, the dearest of all possessions to man, 
which retains Job in his allegiance. Satan therefore is repre- 
sented as having permission to take from Job all that can be 
called life, except the mere consciousness of existence, and the 



10 INTRODUCTION. 

ability to express his sentiments, in the condition to which he 
is reduced, by the infliction of a most loathsome disease. And 
yet this good man, in this lowest point of depression, is repre- 
sented as remaining patient so long, that when his wife, whom 
Satan appears to have*spared to him for no good purpose, tempt- 
ed him to renounce his allegiance to God, he calmly answers, 
" Shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not 
receive evil ?" Thus far, he did not sin with his lips. 

But when the fame of Job's sufferings had spread abroad, and 
had drawn around- him a company of his friends, who had left 
their distant homes to sympathize with him in his calamities, he 
is represented as giving vehement utterance to his long repress- 
ed impatience, and pouring out his complaints and doubts in 
rash language, with which the reader is prepared to sympathize, 
only by the account which has been given of the cause of his 
afflictions in the introductory chapters. 

But the friends of Job, who, of course, are not acquainted 
with the cause of his sufferings in the occurrences of the heavenly 
assembly, are thrown into amazement at the condition in which 
they find their friend, and the expressions uttered by him, whom 
they had heretofore looked upon as a wise and good man. 
They are silent while they witness only his dreadful sufferings ; 
but when they hear the vehement and rash complaints which 
are extorted from him by the severity of his distress, they refrain 
no longer from expressing their sentiments respecting the cause 
of his calamities. Thus commences a discussion respecting the 
causes of human sufferings between Job and his friends. They 
are represented as holding the doctrine of a strict and perfect 
retribution in the present life ; as maintaining that misery al- 
ways implies guilt ; and hence, instead of bringing him comfort 
and consolation, they accuse him of having merited his misfor- 
tunes by secret wickedness. They exhort him to repentance, as 
if he were a great sinner, suffering the just punishment of his 
crimes. 

Job repels their insinuations with indignation, and firmly 
maintains his innocence. He knows not why he suffers. He 



INTRODUCTION. 1 ] 

complains of severe treatment, and asserts that God afflicts 
equally the righteous and the wicked. His friends are offended 
at his sentiments, and undertake to vindicate the conduct of the 
Deity towards him. They repeat with greater asperity their 
charges of wickedness and impiety, and even go so far as to 
accuse him of particular crimes. But the more they press their 
accusations, the more confident is he in his assertions of his in- 
nocence, or of the justice of his cause. He avows his conviction 
that God will one day manifest himself as the vindicator of his 
character. He appeals to him, as the witness of his- sincerity ; 
denies the constancy, and even the frequency of his judgments 
upon wicked men, and boldly asks for an opportunity of plead- 
ing his cause with his Creator, confident that he should be ac- 
quitted before any righteous tribunal. His friends are reduced 
to silence, Bildad closing their remarks by a few general maxims 
respecting the greatness of God and the frailty of man, and 
Zophar not undertaking to say anything. 

The spirit of Job is somewhat softened by their silence, and 
he retracts some of the sentiments, which, in the anguish of his 
spirit, and the heat of controversy, he had inconsiderately 
uttered. " He proceeds with calm confidence, like a lion 
among his^defeated enemies." He shows that he could speak 
of the perfections of God, and express all that was true in their 
positions, in a better style than any of them. He now admits, 
what before he seemed to deny, that wicked men are often 
visited by severe punishment. But from his main position he 
does not retreat, that misery is not always the consequence of 
wickedness, and that God has a hidden wisdom in regard to the 
distribution of happiness and misery, which it is impossible for 
man to fathom. He then proceeds, with a melting pathos, to • 
describe his present, in contrast with his former condition, and 
to give a most beautiful picture of his character and life, very 
pardonable in one of whom the reader knows what has been 
said by the Governor of the world before the angels of heaven. 
From this he is led to renewed protestations of his innocence, 
and of his desire to have his cause tried before the tribunal of 
his Creator. 



12 INTRODUCTION. 

In this stage of the discussion, a new disputant is brought for- 
ward, probably for the purpose of expressing some thoughts of 
the author on the design of afflictions, and for the purpose 
of forming a contrast, in respect to style and manner, with the 
manifestation of the Deity which follows. Elihu is represented 
as a young man coming forward with an air of great confidence, 
though in words he ascribes the burden, with which his breast 
was laboring, to the inspiration of God. " Like most inspired 
men of the same sort, he is assuming, bold, and supercilious." 
He does, indeed, bring forward some thoughts on the moral in- 
fluence of afflictions which had not been uttered by the friends 
of Job, maintaining that, though they may not be the punish- 
ment of past offences, nor evidence of guilt, they may operate 
as preventives of those sins which the best of men sometimes 
commit, and as a salutary discipline, for the correction of those 
faults of which a man may be unconscious, until his attention is 
awakened by adversity. Thus he gives a more rational con- 
jecture than the three friends of Job, in regard to the precise 
cause of his afflictions, but does not give the true account of it, 
as it is stated in the introductory chapters. He is also as far 
from solving the great problem of evil in the world as any of 
the preceding speakers. No one thinks it worth while to reply 
to Elihu. 

Human wisdom, the learned wisdom of age, and the unbiass- 
ed genius of youth have now been exhausted upon the subject. 
At length, therefore, the Supreme Being himself is represented 
as speaking from the midst of a tempest, and putting an end to 
the controversy ; the dignity of his introduction being rendered 
more impressive by the self-confident egotism with which Elihu 
had entered into the contest. * 

* "How vast the difference," says Herder, " between the words of 
Jehovah and the language of Elihu ! It is but the feeble, prolix babbling 
of a child, in comparison with the brief and majestic tones of thunder in 
which the Creator speaks. He disputes not, but produces a succession of 
living pictures ; surrounds, astonishes, and overwhelms the faculties of 
Job with the objects of his inanimate and animated creation. *■ 






INTRODUCTION. 13 

The Creator decides the controversy in favor of Job. Jehovah 
does not, however, condescend to explain or vindicate to him 
the ways of his providence ; but with overpowering force con- 
vinces him of his inability to fathom the divine counsels, de- 
monstrates the necessity of faith in a wisdom which he cannot 
comprehend, produces in him a sense of his weakness and igno- 
rance, and leads him to profound repentance on account of the 
rashness of his language; and thus prepares the way for the 
final vindication of his faithful servant. In a strain of sublime 
irony he requests him, who had spoken with such confidence 
and boldness of the ways of God, to give an explanation of some 
of the phenomena which were constantly presented to his view ; 
of the nature and structure of the earth, the sea, the light, and 
the animal kingdom. If he were unable to explain any of the 
common phenomena of nature, how could he expect to compre- 
hend the secret counsels and moral government of the Author 
of nature ? 

But having shown the reasonableness of entire confidence in 
his unsearchable wisdom, and submission to his darkest dis- 
pensations, the Supreme Judge does decide the controversy in 
favor of Job. He declares that he had spoken that which was 
right, that is, in maintaining that his misery was not the con- 
sequence of his guilt, or that character is not to be inferred 
from external condition ; and that the friends of Job had not 
spoken that which was right, in condemning him as a wicked 
man on account of his misery, or in maintaining that suffering 
always implies guilt. The cause of Job's afflictions has already 
been communicated to the reader in the introductory chapters, 
namely, that they were appointed as a temporary trial of his 
virtue, in order to vindicate the judgment of Jehovah concern- 
ing him, and to prove against all gainsay ers the disinterestedness 
of his piety. Finally, Jehovah bestows upon Job double the 
prosperity which distinguished him before his affliction, and thus 
compensates him for the calamities he had suffered, thereby 
showing, for the consolation of all who endure affliction, that 
the end of the good man will show his wisdom. 
2 



14 IM'RODUCTION. 

If the general design of this wonderful production be such as 
I have described, the question, whether Job was a real, or a 
fictitious character, becomes almost too unimportant to be dis- 
cussed. Truth was illustrated and duty enforced by parable as 
well as by history, by him who spake as never man spake. 
Certainly some of the circumstances of the life of Job have the 
air of fiction, and may have been invented for the promotion of 
the moral and religious design which we suppose the author to 
have had chiefly in view. 

That the sentiments of Job, and of the different disputants, 
as well as those which are represented as proceeding from the 
lips of the Creator, must all be regarded as the effusions of the 
poet's own mind, is also too plain to need argument. The 
whole structure and arrangement, thoughts and language, form 
and substance of the work, must all have proceeded from one 
and the same mind. 

The supposition, that so beautiful and harmonious a whole, 
every part of which bears the stamp of the highest genius, was 
the casual production of a man brought to the gates of the grave 
by a loathsome disease, and of three or four friends who had 
come to comfort him in his affliction, all of them expressing 
their thoughts in poetical and measured language ; that the 
Deity was actually heard to speak half an hour from the midst 
of a violent storm ; and that the consultations in the heavenly 
world were actual occurrences, is too extravagant to need re- 
futation. 

On the other hand, it is against probability and against 
analogy, to suppose that no such person as Job ever existed, 
and that the work has no foundation in fact. The epic and 
dramatic poets, ancient and modern, have usually chosen his- 
torical rather than fictitious personages as their principal 
characters, as being better adapted to secure the popular sym- 
pathy. It is probable that tradition had handed down the 
name of such a person as Job, distinguished for his piety and 
his trials, his virtue and its reward. This tradition the poet 
used and embellished in a manner adapted to promote the chief 
object of his work. 



INTRODUCTION. 15 

A more important question at the present day relates to the 
integrity of the work ; whether we have it as it came from the 
author, or whether various additions have been made to it in 
later times. 

The genuineness of the introductory and concluding chapters 
in prose, of ch. xxvii. 7 — ch. xxviii., and of the speech of 
Elihu, has been denied, with great confidence, by several Ger- 
man scholars upon what I cannot but regard as very insufficient 
grounds. Well knowing the array of learned critics from 
whom I differ, I cannot but have some distrust in my own 
judgment. But I will endeavor to examine with fairness the 
arguments which have been adduced against the genuineness of 
the above-mentioned parts of Job. 

Against the prologue and epilogue it is urged, " that the 
perfection of the work requires their rejection, because they 
solve the problem which is the subject of the work, by the idea 
of trial and compensation ; whereas it was the design of the 
author to solve the question through the idea of entire submission 
on the part of man to the wisdom and power of God." Thus, 
from a part of the work, it is concluded what was the whole 
design of the author, and then whatever is inconsistent with this 
supposed design is rejected. But there is no necessity for the 
supposition of such an entire unity of purpose as this objection 
supposes. Much more probable is it, that the author not only 
designed to establish the necessity of unhesitating faith and un- 
wavering submission, but also to throw all the light in his 
power upon the subject, for the benefit of the understanding. 
If he has not completely solved the question which forms the 
principal subject of discussion, it does not follow that he did 
not undertake to do it ; or, at least, to remove from it all the 
difficulties which he could remove. If it were even admitted, 
which I do not admit, that there is not a perfect consistency and 
unity in the views of a poet writing upon a very deep subject, 
he would not be the only one who has written inconsistently on 
the origin and design of evil. Would it be reasonable to reject 
as ungenuine all those parts of Soame Jenyns's work on the 



16 INTRODUCTION. 

origin of evil which Dr. Johnson points out as inconsistent with 
its main design, or with other parts of it ? 

Far more reasonable is it to gather the author's design from 
a view of the whole work ; especially as there is no inconsis- 
tency in the supposition that he endeavored to clear up the sub- 
ject in view of the understanding, as well as to illustrate the 
necessity of the entire submission of the heart to God's will. 

Besides, the prologue is important, not only as containing, in 
part, the solution of the subject, but as a preparation for the 
reader in estimating the character and language of Job. We 
could hardly sympathize with the imprecations with which he com- 
mences, or with his irreverent language toward the Deity, or 
even with his bold assertions of his innocence, unless we were 
assured, upon higher authority than his own, that he was, what 
he professed to be, an upright and good man. The whole takes 
afar deeper hold upon our sympathy, when we know that he, who 
is in a state of such extreme depression, suffering reproach and 
condemnation from fallible men, has a witness in heaven and a 
record on high, having received the praise of an upright and 
good man from the Searcher of hearts before the angels in 
heaven. 

The objection against ch. xxvii. and xxviii. is, that there is 
an apparent inconsistency between the language of Job here as- 
signed to him, and what he has uttered in ch. xxi. This in- 
consistency is obvious, and was long ago observed by Kennicott. 
See his note on ch. xxvii. 7. And if the object of the poet 
was to represent merely a persevering, unbending character, 
like the Prometheus of iEschylus, there might be some force in 
the objection. But if the design of the work be, as we have 
represented it, to throw all possible light upon a moral subject, 
it is well that Job should retract what he had uttered in the 
heat of passion, and admit all that he could admit with truth, 
and in consistency with his main position, that he was innocent 
or that misery is not always a proof of guilt. The great object 
of the poem is in fact advanced by such a course, and by Job's 
anticipating in some measure, in ch. xxviii., the arguments of 



IOTRODUCTION. 17 

the Supreme Judge. All that Job admits is not really incon- 
sistent with what he says in ch. xxix., xxx., xxxi., and does not 
bring the subject to a crisis too soon. 

In regard to the speech of Elihu, it is objected, that it differs 
in style from that of the other speakers ; that it is weak, prolix, 
studied, obscure ; that it is distinguished from the genuine parts 
of the book by the use of favorite expressions, and by reminis- 
cences from the thoughts of some of the other speakers. That 
there is some difference between the language of Elihu and that 
of the other speakers is conceded ; especially when he is repre- 
sented as speaking of himself. But when he has entered upon 
the subjec, this thoughts are as weighty and as well expressed as 
those of the other speakers. But the true answer is, that this dif- 
ference was designed ; that a different style was assumed by the 
author. There is some difference of manner in the speeches of 
the other adversaries of Job. It is more marked in the speech 
of Elihu, because he was a young man. Youthful forwardness 
was more inconsistent with Eastern feelings and manners than 
with ours. See ch. xxix. 8. And it is not strange that the 
poet should represent a young man appearing upon such an 
occasion, as giving indications of youthful confidence in matters 
of theology. 

It is rather evidence of skill in the poet, that he renders the 
sublime manifestation and language of the Deity more striking, 
by contrast with the flourish and confidence exhibited in the 
manner and language of young Elihu. In regard to favorite 
expressions, and the reminiscences of the language of the other 
speakers, I should think they were circumstances of little im- 
portance. They may, at any rate, be the result of design, as 
part of the manner of Elihu, or they may be the result of in- 
advertence. 

It is objected, secondly, that the speech of Elihu weakens the 
speeches of Job and of the Deity, in ch. xxix., xxx., xxxi., 
xxxviii., &c, obscures the relation in which these stand to each 
other, and, in part, anticipates what that of the Deity contains. 
We have already replied to this in part, by the observation, that 



18 INTRODUCTION. 

the majesty of the Divine appearance is heightened by contrast 
with that of Elihu. It may be observed, too, that all the speakers 
have anticipated more or less of the argument of the Deity, and 
could not well say anything of the Creator, or his works, without 
doing it. But, as a whole, the speech of the Deity is remark- 
ably distinguished from any of them. As to the interruption of 
the connexion between the speech of Job and that of the Deity, 
it is not very important. But let it be conceded, for the sake of 
argument, that the omission of the speech of Elihu would con- 
tribute to the perfection of the work, or that it is in itself some- 
what inferior to other parts of it. What then ? Do not the 
critics and reviewers imagine that they can improve many of the 
productions of genius by the addition of a part here, or the sub- 
traction of a part there ? Some portions of Paradise Lost are in- 
ferior in strength and majesty to others ; and the inferiority of 
Paradise Regained is generally recognized. But no one thinks 
of doubting their genuineness on that account. Besides, the 
author does give one view of the cause of human suffering in 
this discourse, which is not distinctly stated elsewhere. See ch. 
xxxiii. 14-28. 

It is objected, in the next place, that Elihu perverts the lan- 
guage of Job, a thing which would have been done only by a 
person who was not the author of the work. To this it may be 
replied, that, though the particular passages, which Elihu pre- 
tends to quote, are somewhat perverted, yet he hardly ascribes 
to Job worse sentiments than he had elsewhere expressed, as in 
ch. xxi. Besides, it is not unnatural in a disputant, especially 
a young one, to misapprehend a question, or to pervert Jhe lan- 
guage of an opponent. 

It is said, again, that Elihu receives no answer. I apprehend 
that it was agreeable to Eastern feelings that such a forward 
young man should receive no answer. At any rate, this objection 
has little weight. It is said that Job is mentioned by name in 
the speech of Elihu, and not elsewhere. But surely so unim- 
portant a circumstance, occurring in a speech where difference 
of manner was to be expected, affords very slight ground for 
suspecting its genuineness, 






INTRODUCTION. 19 

Lastly, it is said, Elihu is not mentioned in the prologue and 
epilogue. It is sufficient answer to this, to say, that the author 
thought it proper to have but three speakers in the principal 
part of the debate, and to give a special introduction to Elihu 
in ch. xxxii. His judgment on this point may not have been 
as good as that of his modern critics ; but I see not why we 
should alter his plan on that account. As to the fact that he 
is not mentioned in the epilogue, it may have been for the 
reason above assigned for his receiving no reply from Job, or 
because nothing occurred to the author which was particularly 
appropriate to be said to him. 

On the whole, if it were even admitted, what I have no in- 
clination to deny, that the style of Elihu is so diverse from that 
of the rest of the poem as to be somewhat remarkable, or not 
wholly explained by what has been said, yet when we consider 
the strong presumption that such a work as the book of Job 
would not be tampered with by his countrymen, and especially 
by a poet of no mean pretensions, I cannot help doubting 
whether there is sufficient reason for rejecting the passages 
under consideration. I can well conceive of additions being 
made to annals or history. It is also true that some whole 
compositions, or independent portions, of the Old Testament are 
ascribed to those who did not write them. This was the case 
with many of the Psalms, the book of Daniel, and with several 
prophecies in the book of Isaiah. But this is a very different 
thing from introducing so large an addition into the midst of 
one poetical composition. It it easy to conceive that composi- 
tions should be ascribed to Virgil, Milton, Shakspeare, which 
they did not write. But that one should undertake to make 
an interpolation of many pages into the very midst of one of 
their best poems, is much more improbable, both on account of 
want of sufficient motive, the difficulty of execution, and the 
obstacles in the way of the reception of such an interpolation. 
It appears to me that a Jew, and especially a Jewish poet, must 
have had too great a reverence for this noble production to 
undertake to improve it by such an addition, and that the early 



20 INTRODUCTION. 

readers of the work would not have given it a universal recep- 
tion. While, therefore, I readily concede a degree of inferiority 
in respect to poetic merit, of the speech of Elihu to other por- 
tions of the book, I think it is not of so very extraordinary and 
marked a nature, so different from what occurs in the works of 
other poets, as to be unaccountable except on the supposition of 
the spuriousness of the speech. 

As to the country of Job, or, in other words, the scene of the 
poem, there has been a diversity of opinion amongst distinguish- 
ed scholars. I was formerly inclined to adopt the opinion of 
those who supposed it to be Idumea. I now think that Lam. 
iv. 21, which, at first view, seems to favor this supposition, in 
fact indicates that the land of Uz was not • a part of Idumea, 
and that the prophet speaks of the Edomites as having gained 
possession of a country which did not belong to them. It ap- 
pears to me, too, that Jer. xxv. 20, is also decisive of the ques- 
tion ; else why does the prophet speak of the kings of the land 
of Uz, and of Edom, in the next verse, as separate nations, to 
whom he was to extend the cup of indignation ? 

I now think it more probable that the land of Uz was in the 
northeastern part of Arabia Deserta, between Palestine, Idumea, 
and the Euphrates. Ptolemy speaks of a tribe in this region, 
called 'Aicaacu, which may perhaps have been written ^Avavtai ; 
(see Ros. Com. in Job, p. 30 ;) and the Septuagint renders Uz, 
Idvaaig. This country would then be near the Chaldeans and 
Sabeans, by whose incursions the property of Job is said to have 
been lost. It is more properly entitled to the appellation of the 
East than Idumea, which was nearly south of Palestine. The 
beautiful valley of Damascus, which Jahn supposes to have 
been the country of Job, could hardly have been so extensive 
as to account for the expression, " all the kings of the land of 
Uz," in Jer. xxv. 20. 

A more interesting question remains to be spoken of, namely, 
in what country, and in what age, did the author live ? 

I shall not enter into a discission of the various conjectures 



INTRODUCTION. 2 1 

which have been offered in regard to the author of the book. 
Why should we seek to form an opinion, where there are abso- 
lutely no data on which to ground it ? To me it seems highly 
probable that the author of this incomparable production was 
one of whom we have no records and no other remains. The 
opinions of those who have undertaken to name the author are 
widely diverse. Lowth attributes it to Job himself ; Lightfoot 
and others, to Elihu ; some of the Rabbinical writers, as also 
Kennicott, Michaelis, Dathe, and Good, to Moses ; Luther, 
Grotius, and Doederlein, to Solomon ; while Warburton ascribes 
it to Ezra. 

Respecting the age in which the author lived, it might seem, 
at first view, that some judgment could be formed on internal 
grounds. But, in consequence of our imperfect acquaintance 
with the state of civilization, knowledge, opinions, and manners 
in ancient times, it is difficult to form a satisfactory opinion 
upon the subject. 

Some eminent scholars, as Lowth, Eichhorn, and Ilgen, have 
supposed that the author lived before the settlement of the 
Israelites in the land of Canaan. The principal argument in 
favor of this opinion is the absence of allusions to the institu- 
tions, rites, and ceremonies introduced by Moses, and to re- 
markable events in the history of the Jewish nation. This 
argument would be more satisfactory, if the characters, as well 
as the author, of the work, had been Hebrews. But as they 
were Arabians, who had nothing to do with the institutions of 
Moses, it is plain that a writer of genius w r ould nof have been 
guilty of the absurdity of putting the sentiments of a Jew into 
the mouth of an Arabian, at least, so far as relates to such 
tangible matters as institutions, positive laws, ceremonies, and 
history. To me it seems that the author has manifested abun- 
dant evidence of genius and skill in the structure and execution 
of the work, to account for his not having given to Arabians the 
obvious peculiarities of Hebrews who lived under the institu- 
tions of Moses, at whatever period it may have been written. 
Even if the characters of the book had been Hebrews, the argu- 



22 INTRODUCTION. 

ment under consideration would not have been perfectly conclu- 
sive ; for, from the nature of the subject, we might have expect- 
ed as little in it that was Levitical or grossly Jewish, as in the 
book of Proverbs or Ecclesiastes, or in several of the Prophets. 
A poet may nominally belong to a church of forms and cere- 
monies, and yet give very little evidence of it in his compositions. 
The argument for the Antemosaic orgin of the book seems, 
therefore, wholly destitute of weight. On the contrary, we find 
a very strong argument against that opinion in the abstruse 
nature of its subject, and its speculative and philosophical spirit 
which seem to imply a different stage of civilization, and a 
different state of society from what we suppose to have existed 
among the wandering Jews to whom Moses gave the law upon 
Sinai. It is to be kept in mind that the poet wrote for his con- 
temporaries, and that the spirit of the readers, as well as of the 
writer, must be reflected from the work. It was agreeable to 
the spirit of Moses to say, Thus saith Jehovah, Ye shall do this, 
and, Ye shall not do that ; and to accompany these commands 
and prohibitions with the most terrible sanctions, rather than to 
indulge in such bold speculations as are contained in this book. 
See Ex. xx. 5. A very different kind of poetry, if any, seems 
also to be proper to the circumstances of the Jews in and before 
the age of Moses. There is more uncertainty in regard to 
particular religious conceptions. Those respecting angels, con- 
tained in the following verses, are supposed by De Wette to be 
inconsistent # with the Mosaic age : — iv. 18 ; v. 1 ; xv. 15 ; xxi. 
22 ; xxxiii. 23, &c. ; xxxviii. 7, comp. i. 7, ii. 2, &c. But it 
may be doubted whether this argument is valid. The manners 
and condition of society referred to or implied in some, at least, 
of the following passages, adduced by De Wette, seem to point 
to a much later period of Jewish history than the Antemosaic 
or Mosaic age. It strikes me as rather inconsistent with the 
simplicity of the patriarchal age, that Job should be represented 
as the ruler or judge of a city, ch. xxix. 7, 8, 9 ; that there 
should be an allusion to the written sentence of a judge, ch. xiii. 
26 ; to the signing of a bill of defence or complaint, to be 



INTRODUCTION. 23 

brought into court, ch. xxxi. 35 ; to the recording of facts in a 
register, or book-roll, or upon tablets of stone, ch. xix. 23, 24 ; 
to the custom of holding courts in the gates of walled cities, ch. 
v. 4, xxix. 7 ; to desolate cities, ch. xv. 28 ; to cities, ch. xxiv. 
12, xxxix. 7 ; to various kinds of armor, ch. xx. 24, 25, and to 
the war-horse, ch. xxxix. 21-25 ; to splendid palaces, or tombs, 
ch. iii. 14 ; to the deposition of kings, ch. xii. 18 ; to the laying 
up of wealth in the form of money, ch. xx. 15, xxii. 24, xxiii. 
10, xxvii. 16, xxxi. 24; and to the mining operations, in ch. 
xxviii. These allusions may not be perfectly conclusive ; 
modern discoveries respecting the ancient Egyptian civilization 
may in some degree lessen their conclusiveness ; but they cer- 
tainly do not harmonize with our notions of the life and manners 
of the Hebrew patriarchs before the time of Moses. They 
suggest to us a later age. 

In regard to the age of Solomon, or the period which in- 
tervenes between Solomon and the captivity at Babylon, which 
is assigned to it by some writers, there is no very decisive ob- 
jection. . Even if the work is supposed to have a national object, 
or to have been designed for the encouragement and consolation 
of the Jewish people, as a nation, while in a state of calamity, 
there are several periods before the captivity, when such a work 
would have been appropriate ; for instance, the period of Ha- 
bakkuk, whose expostulation with the Deity, and what follows 
in his prophecy, have a resemblance to the subject and senti- 
ments of the book of Job. There is no necessity, however, for 
supposing the work to have a national object. If this had been 
the case, I think it would have been made more distinctly to 
appear by the author. The subject is one which the vicissitudes 
of individual experience render as interesting and pertinent in 
the highest period of national prosperity, as at the lowest point 
of national depression. 

There is one consideration, however, which has inclined the 
best Hebrew scholars, of^ate, to assign the period of the cap- 
tivity at Babylon as the age of the author of Job, namely, the 
Chaldaizing character of the language ; for instance #UJJ, to 



2* INTRODUCTION. 

answer, applied to one who begins a discourse. The plural 
form of n*?D, p^D ; D^Hp, the holy ones, applied to angels ; "TUP, 

xvi. 19 ; *)pr\, xiv. 20, xv. 24 ; |>fln, xxi. 21, xxii. 3; H3D,vii. 3; 

np, wo/, xvi. 6, eomp. xxxi. 1 ; "!Op for "'Vp, xviii. 2 ; pn for jn, xli. 

4 ; tJ^asa prefix, xix. 29, &c. ; *)QK, to command. From these 

and o|her instances, Gesenius, De Wette, and Umbreit have re- 
ferred the book of Job to the time of the captivity ; a period 
assigned to it by Le Clerc, Warburton, Heath, Garnet, and Rabbi 
Jochanan among the older critics. But from the few remains of 
Hebrew literature that have come down to us, and our imperfect 
acquaintance with the history of the language, it follows, that 
it is by no means certain that the words and forms above 
mentioned may not have been in use in some parts of Judea be- 
fore the time of the captivity. ^ as a prefix occurs in the book 
of Judges; see vi. 17. 

The introduction of Satan, in the historical introduction in 
prose, is certainly a strong argument against the high antiquity 
of the work. For there is no mention of such a being, by the 
name of Satan, in any of the Hebrew writings composed before 
the exile in Babylon ; and there is good reason for believing 
that it was from the Chaldeans that the Jews derived the con- 
ception of such a being. This argument seems to be conclusive 
against the high antiquity of the work. For it is hardly 
credible that the Hebrews should have had the conception of an 
evil spirit before the time of Moses, and that it should not once 
occur in the writings which preceded the exile. But it may be 
doubted whether this argument be conclusive against the sup- 
position that the book of Job was written a short time before 
the exile. As to the opinion of Schultens, Herder, Dathe, 
Fichhorn, and others, that the Satan of the book of Job was a 
good angel, it is now universally rejected as untenable. 

The question may be asked, whether the perfection of the 
work is not inconsistent with the state of Hebrew literature 
during the captivity. Notwithstanding the strong language of 



INTRODUCTION. 25 

Bishop Lowth on this point, I think it may justly be inferred from 
the Psalms composed during this period, that this question should 
be answered in the negative. See Ps. cxxxvii. ; also Is. xl - lxvi. 

On the whole, it appears to me that there are no data upon 
which one can form a very conh'dent opinion in regard to the 
precise age of the book of Job. The latest period assigned for 
it appears to me far more probable than the earliest, and indeed 
the most probable ; but that it may not have been written some 
time between the age of Solomon and the captivity is more than 
any one, who has surveyed the subject carefully, will confident- 
ly assert. If a time of national distress is deemed probable, 
why should not the period of the Assyrian invasion, or that 
which followed it, have given birth to the work ? 

One more point remains to be considered, namely, the country 
of the author of Job. For it has been maintained that he was 
not a Hebrew, but an Arabian, and that the work is a transla- 
tion from the Arabic. 

In opposition to this opinion, it is to, be observed, in the first 
place, that there is no external evidence in favor of it. The 
work is now found in Hebrew alone, in the collection of what 
remains of ancient Hebrew literature, a collection which has 
been held sacred by the Jews as far back as we can trace their 
sentiments respecting it. Nor is there any history or tradition 
which intimates that the work ever existed in a different lan- 
guage. I doubt whether the spurious appendage to the Sep- 
tuagint translation, worthless as it is, intimates that the book 
was translated from the Syriac. 

It is found, too, in the sacred literature of a people peculiarly 
proud of their religious prerogatives, and regarding with cold- 
ness, jealousy, and often with aversion and hatred, all other 
nations. It is extremely improbable that any Jew would have 
had the inclination to transfer the production of a heathen into 
the Jewish literature, or that he would have been permitted to 
do it. 

In the next place, the work is not only in the Hebrew lan- 
guage, but in the best style of Hebrew composition, The 
8 



26 INTRODUCTION. 

parallelism is uniform and well sustained ; the sentences are 
pointed ; the style is fresh and vigorous, and bears not, in its 
general characteristics, the slightest mark of a translation. 

In opposition, then, to the external evidence, and to the 
general style of the composition, what are the reasons which 
have induced some distinguished men in modern times to regard 
the work as the production of an Arabian, and as translated 
from the Arabic ? 

They are, in the first place, the words, which occur in it 
more frequently than in other books of the Old Testament, 
which are regarded as Arabic in a Hebrew dress, or which may 
be illustrated from the Arabic. But these words are very few 
in relation to the whole work, and are not the less Hebrew be- 
cause they may be illustrated from the Arabic. With the ex- 
ception of the few forms which resemble the Aramaean, the book 
of Job is in as pure Hebrew as any other part of the Scriptures. 
It appears to me that the remark of Jahn is perfectly just and 
satisfactory in regard to this topic : "It. is not at all surprising 
that in a lofty poem we find many of the less common words 
and ideas, which the Hebrew, through the poverty of its litera- 
ture, has lost, while they have been preserved by the Arabic, the 
richest of the sister dialects." * 

It has been said that, if the author had been a Hebrew, more 
of a Levitical or ritual character would have been found in the 
book. This consideration seems to me to have a satisfactory 
answer in what has been said on page 22 against the high an- 
tiquity of the poem. 

The other argument, in support of the opinion that an 
Arabian was the author of the poem, is drawn from the various 
allusions to Arabian manners and customs which are scattered 
through it. In regard to this argument, there are two things 
to be observed. First, we have reason to believe that the 
manners of the Jews, in some parts of Palestine, very much 
resembled those of the Arabs. As they sprung from the same 

* Jahn's Introduction, § 196. 



INTRODUCTION. 27 

stock, why should this not be the case, except so far as the Jews 
were distinguished by their religious institutions ? 

We are apt to form our conceptions of the whole Jewish 
nation from what we learn in the Scriptures of the inhabitants 
of cities, of Jerusalem in particular. It is to be recollected that 
the Hebrews were originally and " essentially a nomadic people ; 
their fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob had ever been so ; 
they were emphatically Bedouins, removing with their flocks 
and herds from place to place, as occasion might require. In 
Egypt they had ever been shepherds, — their province of Goshen 
was adapted to pasturage, and not to tillage ; and now, when 
they had come out into the deserts, with their flocks and herds, 
they were still the nomadic race they had ever been, — a people 
resembling those by whom these desert plains, and valleys, and 
mountains are possessed to this day." * It is not singular that 
the manners of Bedouins should have been in a measure retain- 
ed by those Hebrews who dwelt out of cities. 

It follows from the preceding consideration that the author 
of Job, having determined to make his characters Arabians, and 
to lay the scene of his work in Arabia, would find no difficulty 
in. suiting the manners and sentiments of his characters, and his 
local allusions, to the scene which he had chosen ; so that his 
only difficulty would be to exclude from his work obvious 
references to the Jewish history and religion. If, in addition to 
this, we suppose, what is perfectly reasonable, that the Hebrew 
philosopher had, like Plato, travelled into Egypt, and through 
Arabia, for the purpose of enriching his mind with all the know- 
ledge of those countries, I think we shall find no difficulty in 
the supposition, that a Hebrew, of such genius and skill as are 
manifested in this work, might have been the author of it. A 
recent commentator on Job, Hirzel, has conjectured that the 
author was a Hebrew captive, carried into Egypt by Pharaoh 
Necho. See 2 Kings, xxiii. 29, &c. 

But this is not all. It seems to me, that, though Arabian 

* See Biblical Repository, No. VIII. p. 787. 



28 INTRODUCTION, 

manners and scenes are the superficial characteristics of the 
work, yet in its general spirit, and in many less obvious 
characteristics, the author has manifestly shown himself to be a 
Hebrew poet. The very subject of the work is just what might 
have been expected to arrest the attention of a Hebrew philoso- 
pher, educated in the religion of Moses. It is similar to that of 
other Hebrew compositions, as has been observed before. In 
fact, if we regard the spirit and scope of the work, the remark 
of De Wette appears not too strong, that it is Hebrew through 
and through. 

There are also many particular sentiments which we know to 
be appropriate to a Hebrew, possessing an acquaintance with 
the Hebrew literature and religion, which we do not know to 
have been appropriate to an Arabian. Such are the following, 
which are more or less satisfactory. Ch. ix. 5-9 ; xii. 10 ; xv. 
7 ; xxvi. 5, &c. ; xxxviii. 4, &c. ; — iv. 19 ; x. 9 ; xxvii. 3 ; — iv. 
17, &c. ; viii. 9 ; ix. 2 ; xiii. 26 ; xiv. 4 ; xv. 14 ; xxv. 4, 6 ; — 
iv. 18 ; v. 1 ; xv. 15 ; xxi. 22 ; xxxviii. 7 ; — xxxi. 26, 27 ; — vii. 
7, &c. ; x. 21, &c. ; xiv. 10, &c. ; xvi. 22 ; xxx. 23 ; xxxviii. 
1 7. Add to tKese the mention of the Jordan as an instance of 
a great stream, ch. xl. 23, and the use of the name of Jehovah- in 
the introduction and conclusion of the work. The sentiments 
and some of the expressions, contained in the preceding re- 
ferences, are common in other parts of the Scriptures. Some of 
the sentiments may, it is true, have been held by the Arabians 
in common with the Hebrews ; but we do not know it. The 
presumption, therefore, is, that they proceeded from one who 
was familiar with Hebrew literature, that is, from a Hebrew. 

The following instance of resemblance to passages in the 
Psalms and Proverbs are also of weight with those who do not 
believe that the work is of very high antiquity, and translated, 
and incorporated into the Hebrew literature, so early, that the 
authors of the Psalms and Proverbs borrowed from it. To me 
it seems more probable that these common thoughts and peculiar 
expressions indicate only that the books in which they occur 
belong to a common literature, the literature of the same 



INTRODUCTION. 29 

nation. Ch, v. 16, xxii. 19, comp. Ps. cvii. 42, Ch. xii. 21, 
24, comp. Ps. cvii. 40. Ch. xiii. 5, comp. Prov. xvii. 28. Ch, 
xv. 16, xxxiv. 7, comp. Prov. xxvi. 6. Ch. xxii. 29, comp. 
Prov. xvi. 18, xviii. 12, xxix. 23. Ch. xxvi. 5, comp. Prov. ii. 
18, xxi. 16. Ch. xxvi. 6, comp. Prov. xv. 11. Ch. xxvii. 16, 
&c, comp. Prov. xxviii. 8. Ch. xxviii. 18, comp. Prov. viii. 
11. Ch. xxviii. 28, comp. Prov. i. 7. iWlfl Ch. v. 12, vi. 13, 

xi. 6, xii. 16, xxvi. 3, xxx. 22, comp. Prov. ii. 7, iii. 21, viii. 
14, xviii. 1. mn Ch. vi. 2, xxx. 13, comp. Prov. xix. 13. 

nibanfi Ch. xxxvii. 12, comp. Prov. i. 5, xi. 14, and often. 

On the whole, it appears to me that the internal evidence 
alone makes it more probable that the author was a Hebrew 
than that he was a foreigner ; and when to this we add the ex- 
ternal evidence in favor of this opinion, there seems to be very 
little room for doubt. 

It may seem remarkable that the author of a work, which, for 
reach of thought, richness of imagination, depth and tenderness 
of feeling, and skill in its plan and execution, surpasses any 
production of Hebrew literature which has come down to us, 
should yet be unknown. But, when we consider the vicissitudes 
through which the Jewish nation has passed, the wonder is that 
we retain the work itself. 

" But who," says the eloquent Herder, " shall answer our 
inquiries respecting him, to whose meditations we are indebted 
for this ancient book, this justification of the ways of God to 
man, and sublime exaltation of humanity, — who has exhibited 
them, too, in this silent picture, in the fortunes of an humble suf- 
ferer, clothed in sackcloth, and sitting in ashes, but fired with the 
sublime inspirations of his own wisdom ? Who shall point us 
to the grave of him, whose soul kindled with these divine con- 
ceptions, to whom was vouchsafed such access to the counsels of 
God, to angels and the souls of men, who embraced in a single 
glance the heavens and the earth, and who could send forth his 
living spirit, his poetic fire, and his human affections, to all that 
3* 



30 INTRODUCTION. 

exists, from the land of the shadow of death to the starry 
firmament, and beyond the stars ? No cypress, flourishing in 
unfading green, marks the place of his rest. With his unutter- 
ed name he has consigned to oblivion all that was earthly, and, 
leaving his book for a memorial below, is engaged in a yet 
nobler song in that world where the voice of sorrow and mourn- 
ing is unheard, and where the morning-stars sing together. 

" Or, if he, the patient sufferer, was here the recorder of his 
own sufferings, and of his own triumph, of his own wisdom, 
first victorious in conflict, and then humbled in the dust, how 
blest have been his afflictions, how amply rewarded his pains ! 
Here, in this book, full of imperishable thought, he still lives, 
gives utterance to the sorrows of his heart, and extends his 
triumph over centuries and continents. Not only, according to 
his wish, did he die in his nest, but a phoenix has sprung forth 
from his ashes, and from his odorous nest is diffused an incense 
which gives, and will forever give, reviving energy to the faint, 
and strength to the powerless. He has drawn down the 
heavens to the earth, encamped their hosts invisibly around the 
bed of languishing, and made the afflictions of the sufferer a 
spectacle to angels, has taught that God, too, looks with a 
watchful eye upon his creatures, and exposes them to the trial 
of their integrity for the maintenance of his own truth, and the 
promotion of his own glory. * Behold, we count them happy 
which endure. Ye have heard of the patience of Job, and have 
seen the end of the Lord, (the happy end which the Lord 
appointed for him,) that the Lord is very pitiful and of tender 
mercy.' " * 

In regard to the use of this book, it is hardly necessary, after 
what has been said of its character and design, to remind the 
reader that the instruction which it contains is to be derived 
from its general spirit and design, as a whole, and not from 
particular verses or passages. Job was censured by the Deity 
for the rashness of his language, and his friends were con- 

* Herder's Spirit of Hebrew Poetry, Marsh's Translation , Vol. I. p. 120. 



INTRODUCTION. 31 

demned by the same unerring Judge, as not having spoken that 
which was right. If we regard independent sentences or 
speeches, those uttered by the friends of Job must be regarded 
as more consistent with Divine revelation, and more respectful 
to God, than much of the language of Job. It was in the ab- 
soluteness of the application of their general maxims that they 
were wrong ; in endeavoring to prove by them that Job was a 
bad man because he was miserable ; or, in general, that misery 
is a proof of guilt 



SYNOPSIS. 



I. Historical introduction in prose. Ch. I., II. 

II. Controversy in verse. Ch. III. — XLII. 7. 

The speech of Job, in which he curses his birth-day, is suc- 
ceeded by 

I. The first series of controversy. IV. — XIV. 

1. Speech of Eliphaz. Ch. IV., V. 

2. Answer of Job. Ch. VI., VII. 

3. Speech of Bildad. Ch. VIII. 

4. Answer of Job. Ch. IX., X. 

5. Speech of Zophar. Ch. XI. 

6. Answer of Job. Ch. XII., XIV. 

II. Second series of controversy. Ch. XV. — XXL 

1. Speech of Eliphaz. Ch. XV. 

2. Answer of Job. Ch. XVI., XVII. 

3. Speech of Bildad. Ch. XVIII. 

4. Answer of Job. Ch. XIX. 

5. Speech of Zophar. Ch. XX. 

6. Answer of Job. Ch. XXI. 

III. Third series of controversy. Ch. XXII. — XXXI. 

1. Speech of Eliphaz. Ch. XXII. 

2. Answer of Job. Ch. XXIII., XXIV. 

3. Speech of Bildad. Ch. XXV. 

4. Answer of Job. Ch. XXVI. — XXXI. 

IV. Speech of Elihu. Ch. XXXII. —XXXVII. 

V. The speech of the Deity, which terminates the 
discussion. Ch. XXXVIII.— XLII. 7. 

III. The conclusion in prose. Ch. XLII. 7. to the end, 

[33] 



JOB. 



Job's trials. — Ch. i., ii. 

1 In the land of Uz lived a man whose name was Job. 
He was an upright and good man, fearing God and 

2 departing from evil. He had seven sons and three 

3 daughters. His substance was seven thousand sheep, 
three thousand camels, five hundred yoke of oxen, five 
hundred she-asses, and a great number of servants ; so 
that he was the greatest of all the inhabitants of the 
East. 

4 Now it was the custom of his sons to make a feast in 
their houses, each on his day, and to send and invite 

5 their three sisters to eat and to drink with them. And 
when the days of their feasting had gone round, Job 
used to send for them and sanctify them, and to rise 
up early in the morning and offer burnt-offerings ac- 
cording to the number of them all ; for Job said, It 
may be that my sons have sinned, and have renounced 
God in their hearts. Thus did Job continually. 

6 Now on a certain day the sons of God came to pre- 
sent themselves before Jehovah, and Satan also came 

7 among them. And Jehovah said to Satan, Whence 
comest thou ? Then Satan answered Jehovah, and 
said, From wandering over the earth, and walking up 

8 and down in it. And Jehovah said to Satan, Hast 

[35] 



36 JOB. [Ch. i. 

thou observed my servant Job, that there is none like 

him in the earth, an upright and good man, fearing 

9 God and departing from evil? Then Satan answered 

10 Jehovah, Is it for nought that Job feareth God ? 
Hast thou not placed a hedge around him, and around 
his house, and around all his possessions ? Thou hast 
prospered the work of his hands, and his herds are 

11 greatly increased in the land. But only put forth thy 
hand, and touch whatever he possesseth, and to thy 

12 face will he renounce thee. And Jehovah said to Satan, 
Behold, all that he hath is in thy power ; but upon 
him lay not thine hand. So Satan went forth from the 
presence of Jehovah. 

13 Now on a certain day the sons and daughters of Job 
were eating and drinking wine in their eldest brother's 

14 house, when a messenger came to Job, and said, The 
oxen were ploughing,- and the asses feeding beside them, 

15 and the Sabeans fell upon them, and took them away ; 
the servants also they slew with the edge of the sword ; 

16 and I only am escaped alone to tell thee. While he was 
yet speaking, there came also another, and said, The fire 
of God hath fallen from heaven, and hath burned up the 
sheep, and the servants, and consumed them ; and I 

17 only am escaped alone to tell thee. While he was yet 
speaking, there came also another, and said, The Chal- 
deans made out three bands, and fell upon the camels, 
and carried them away ; the servants also they slew with 
the edge of the sword ; and I only am escaped alone to 

18 tell thee. While he was yet speaking, there came also 
another, and said, Thy sons and thy daughters were 
eating and drinking wine in their eldest brother's house ; 

19 and, lo ! there came a great wind from the desert, and 
smote the four corners of the house, and it fell upon the 
young men, and they are dead ; and I only am escaped 



Ch. ii.] JOB. 37 

20 alone to tell thee. Then Job arose, and rent his mantle, 
and shaved his head, and fell down upon the ground, 

21 and worshipped ; and said, Naked came I forth from my 
mother's womb, and naked shall I return thither. Jeho- 
vah gave, and Jehovah hath taken away ; blessed be 
the name of Jehovah ! In all this Job sinned not, nor 
uttered vain words against God. 

1 Again there was a day when the sons of God came 
to present themselves before Jehovah ; and Satan came 
also among them Jo present himself before Jehovah. 

2 And Jehovah said to Satan, Whence comest thou ? And 
Satan answered Jehovah, and said, From wandering 

3 over the earth, and walking up and down in it. Then 
said Jehovah to Satan, Hast thou observed my servant 
Job, that there is none like him upon the earth, an up- 
right and good man, fearing God and departing from 
evil ? And still he holdeth fast his integrity, although 
thou didst excite me against him to destroy him without 

4 a cause. And Satan answered Jehovah, and said, Skin 
for skin, yea, all that a man hath, will he give for his 

5 life. But put forth now thine hand, and touch his bone 
and his flesh, and to thy face will he renounce thee. 

6 And Jehovah said to Satan, Behold, he is in thy hand ; 
but spare his life. 

7 Then Satan went forth from the presence of Jeho- 
vah, and smote Job with sore biles from the sole of his 

8 foot to his crown. And he took a potsherd to scrape 
himself withal, and sat down among the ashes. 

9 Then said his wife to him, Dost thou still retain thine 
10 integrity ? Renounce God, and die. But he said to her, 

Thou talkest like one of the foolish women. What! 
shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we 
not receive evil ? In all this Job sinned not with his 
lips. 

4 



38 JOB. [Ch. hi. 

11 Now three friends of Job heard of all this evil that 
was come upon him, and came each one from his home ; 
Eliphaz the Temanite, and Bildad the Shuhite, and 
Zophar the Naamathite ; for they had agreed to come 

12 to mourn with him, and to comfort him. And they lift- 
ed up their eyes at a distance, and knew him not ; then 
they raised their voices and wept, and rent each one his 
mantle, and sprinkled dust upon their heads toward 

13 heaven. And they sat down with him upon the ground 
seven days and seven nights, an£ none spake a word to 
him ; for they saw that his grief was very great. 



II. 

Job's complaint. — Ch. hi. 

1 At length Job opened his mouth, and cursed the day 

2 of his birth. And Job spake and said : 

3 Perish the day in which I was born, 

And the night which said, 44 A man child is conceived !" 

4 Let that day be darkness ; 

Let not God seek it from above ; 
Yea, let not the light shine upon it ! 

5 Let darkness and the shadow of death redeem it ; 
Let a cloud dwell upon it ; 

Let whatever darkens the day terrify it ! 

- 

6 As for that night, let darkness seize upon it ; 
Let it not rejoice among the days of the year ; 
Let it not come into the number of the months ! 



Ch. in.] JOB. *te 

7 O let that night be unfruitful ! 
Let there be in it no voice of joy ; 

8 Let them, that curse the day, curse it, 
Who are skilful to stir up the leviathan ! 

9 Let the stars of its twilight be darkened ; 
Let it long for light, and have none ; 
Neither let it see the eyelashes of the morning ! 

10 Because it shut not up the doors of my mother's womb, 
And hid not trouble from mine eyes. 

H Why died I not at my birth ? 

Why did I not expire when I came forth from the womb ? 

12 Why did the knees receive me, 

And why the breasts, that I might suck ? 

13 For now should I lie down and be quiet ; 
I should sleep, then should I be at rest. 

14 With kings and counsellors of the earth, 
Who built up for themselves — ruins ! 

15 Or with princes that had gold, 
And filled their houses with silver ; 

16 Or, as a hidden untimely birth, I had perished, 
As infants which never saw the light. 

17 There the wicked cease from troubling ; 
There the weary are at rest. 

18 There the prisoners rest together ; 
They hear not the voice of the oppressor, 

19 The small and the great are there, 
And the servant is free from his master. 

20 Why giveth He light to him that is in misery, 
And life to the bitter in soul, 

21 Who long for death, and it cometh not, 
And dig for it more than for hid treasures ; 

22 Who rejoice exceedingly, 

Yea, exult, when they can find a grave ? 



40 JOB [Ch. iv 

23 Why is light given to a man from whom the way is hid, 
And whom God hath hedged in ? 

24 For my sighing cometh before I eat, 
And my groans are poured out like water, 

25 For that which I dread overtaketh me ; 
That, at which I shudder, cometh upon me. 

26 I have no peace, nor quiet, nor respite ; 
Misery cometh upon me continually. 



III. 

First speech of Eliphaz. — Ch. iv., v. 

1 Then spake Eliphaz the Temanite, and said : 

2 If one attempt a word with thee, wilt thou be of- 

fended ? 
But who can refrain from speaking? 

3 Behold, thou hast admonished many, 
Thou hast strengthened feeble hands ; 

4 Thy words have upheld him that was falling, 
And thou hast given strength to feeble knees. 

5 But now it is come upon thee, and thou faintest ; 
It toucheth thee, and thou art confounded ! 

6 Is not thy fear of God thy hope, 

And the uprightness of thy ways thy confidence ? 

7 Remember, I pray thee, who ever perished being inno- 

cent ? 
Or where have the righteous been cut off? 

8 According to what I have seen, they, who plough in- 

iquity, 
And sow mischief, reap the same. 



Ch. v.] job. 41 

9 By the blast of God they perish, 

And by the breath of his nostrils they are consumed. 
10 The roaring of the lion, and the voice of the fierce lion. 

And the teeth of the young lions are broken, 
n The fierce lion perisheth for lack of prey, 

And the whelps of the lioness are scattered abroad. 

12 A word was once secretly brought to me, 
And mine ear caught a whisper thereof. 

13 Amid thoughts from visions of the night, 
When deep sleep falleth upon men, 

14 A fear and a horror came upon me, 
Which made all my bones to shake ; 

15 Then a spirit passed before my face ; 
The hair of my flesh rose on end ; 

16 It stood still, but its form I could not discern ; 
An image was before mine eyes, 

There was silence, and I heard a voice : 

17 " Shall mortal man be more just than God ? 
" Shall man be more pure than his Maker ? 

18 " Behold, he putteth no trust in his ministering spirits, 
u And his angels he chargeth with frailty ; 

19 " What then are they who dwell in houses of clay, 
" Whose foundation is in the dust, 

" Who crumble to pieces, as if moth-eaten ! 

20 " Between morning and evening are they destroyed ; 
" They perish forever, and none regardeth it. 

21 " The excellency that is in them is torn away ; 
" They die before they have become wise." 

1 Call now, see if any one will answer thee ; 
And to which of the holy ones wilt thou look ? 

2 Verily grief destroy eth the fool, 
And wrath consumeth the weak man. 

4* 



42 JOB. [Oh. v. 

3 I have seen an impious man taking root, 
. But soon I cursed his habitation. 

4 His children are far from safety, 

They are oppressed at the gate, and there is none to 
deliver them. 

5 His harvest the hungry devour, 
Carrying it even through the thorns, 
And a snare gapeth after his substance. 

6 For affliction cometh not from the dust, 
Neither doth trouble spring up from the ground ; 

7 Behold, man is born to trouble, 
As the sparks fly upward. 

8 I would look to God ; 

And to God would I commit my cause ; 

9 Who doeth great things and unsearchable ; 
Yea, marvellous things without number ; 

10 Who giveth rain upon the earth, 
And sendeth water upon the fields ; 

11 Who placeth the lowly in high places, 
And restoreth the afflicted to prosperity ; 

12 Who disappointeth the devices of the crafty, 

So that their hands cannot perform their enterprises ; 

13 Who taketh the wise in their own craftiness, 
And bringeth to nought the counsel of the artful. 

14 They meet with darkness in the daytime ; 
They grope at noon as if it were night. 

15 So he saveth the persecuted from their mouth, 
The oppressed from the hand of the mighty ; 

16 So the poor hath hope, 

And iniquity stoppeth her mouth. 

17 Behold, happy is the man whom God correcteth ; 
Therefore despise not thou the chastening of the Al- 
mighty. 



Ch. vi.] JOB. 43 

18 For he bruiseth, and bindeth up ; 

He woundeth, and his hands make whole. 

19 In six troubles will he deliver thee, 
Yea, in seven shall no evil touch thee. 

20 In famine he will redeem thee from death, 
And in war from the power of the sword. 

21 Thou shalt be safe from the scourge of the tongue, 
And shalt not be afraid of destruction, when it cometh. 

22 At destruction and famine thou shalt laugh, 

And of the wild beasts of the land shalt thou not be 
afraid. 

23 For thou shalt be in league with the stones of the field, 
Yea, the beasts of the forest shall be at peace with thee. 

24 Thou shalt find that thy tent is in peace ; 

Thou shalt visit thy dwelling, and not be disappointed. 

25 Thou shalt see thy descendants numerous, 
And thine offspring as the grass of the earth. 

26 Thou shalt come to thy grave in full age, 
As a shock of corn gathered in its season. 

27 Lo ! this we have searched out ; so it is-; 
Hear it, and lay it up in thy mind ! 



IV. 

Answer of Job. — Ch. vi., vii. 

1 Then Job answered and said : 

2 O that my grief were weighed thoroughly ! 

That my calamities were put together in the balance ! 

3 Surely they would be heavier than the sand of the sea ; 
On this account were my words rash. 



44 JOB. [Ch. vi. 

4 For the arrows of the Almighty have pierced me ; 
Their poison drinketh up my spirit ; 

The terrors of God set themselves in array against me. 

5 Doth the wild ass bray in the midst of grass ? 
Or loweth the ox over his fodder ? 

6 Can that which is unsavory be eaten without salt ? 
Is there any taste in the white of an egg ? 

7 That which my soul abhorreth to touch 
Hath become my loathsome food. 

8 O that I might have my request, 

And that God would grant me that which I long for ! 

9 That it would please God to destroy me, 

That he would let loose his hand, and make an end of 
me ! 

10 Yet it should still be my consolation, 
Yea, in unsparing anguish I would exult, 

That I have not denied the commands of the Holy One. 

11 What is my strength, that I should hope, 
And what mine end, that I should be patient ? 

12 Is my strength the strength of stones ? 
Or is my flesh brass ? 

13 Alas, there is no help within me ! 
Deliverance is driven from me ! 

14 To the afflicted kindness should be*fehown by a friend, 
Else he casteth off the fear of the Almighty, 

15 But my brethren are faithless like a brook ; 
Like streams of the valley that pass away ; 

16 Which are turbid by reason of the ice, 
And the snow, which hides itself in them. 

17 As soon as they flow forth, they vanish ; 

When the heat cometh, they are dried up from their place. 

18 The caravans turn aside to them, on their way, 
Thev go up into the desert, and perish. 



Oh. vil] JOB. 

19 The caravans of Tema look for them, 

The companies of Sheba expect to see them ; 

20 They are ashamed that they have relied on them ; 
They come to their place, and are confounded, 

21 So ye also are nothing ; 

Ye see a terror, and shrink back. 

22 Have I said, Bring me gifts ? 

Or, Give a present for me out of your substance ? 

23 Or, Deliver me from the enemy's hand ? 
Or, Rescue me from the hand of the violent ? 

24 Convince me, and I will hold my peace ; 
Cause me to understand wherein I have erred. 

25 How powerful are the words of truth ! 
But what do your reproaches prove ? 

26 Do ye mean to censure words ? 

The words of a man in despair are but wind. 

27 Truly ye spread a net for the fatherless ; 
Ye dig a pit for your friend. 

28 Look now upon me, I pray you ; 

For to your very face can I speak falsehood ? 

29 Return, I pray, and let there be no unfairness ; 
Yea, return ; — still is my cause righteous. 

30 Is there iniquity on my tongue ? 
Cannot my taste discern what is sinful ? 

1 Is there not a war-service for man on the earth ? 
Are not his days as the days of a hireling ? 

2 As a servant panteth for the shade, 
And as a hireling looketh for his wages, 

3 So am I made to possess months of affliction, 
And wearisome nights are appointed for me. 

4 If I lie down, I say, 

When shall I arise, and the night be gone ? 



46 JOB. [Ch. vn. 

And I am full of restlessness until the dawning of the 
day. 

5 My flesh is clothed with worms and clods of dust ; 
My skin is broken and become loathsome. 

6 My days are swifter than a weaver's shuttle ; 
They pass away without hope. 

7 O remember that my life is a breath ; 
That mine eye shall no more see good ! 

8 The eye of him that hath seen me shall see me no 

more ; 
Thine eyes shall look for me, but I shall not be. 

9 As the cloud dissolveth and wasteth away, 

So he that goeth down to the grave shall arise no more ; 

10 No more shall he return to his house, 

And his dwelling-place shall know him no more. 

11 Therefore I will not restrain my mouth ; 
I will speak in the anguish of my spirit, 

I will complain in the bitterness of my soul. 

12 Am I a sea, or a sea-monster, 
That thou settest a watch over me ? 

13 When I say, My bed shall relieve me, 
My couch shall ease my complaint, 

14 Then thou scarest me with dreams, 
And terrifiest me with visions ; 

15 So that my soul chooseth strangling, 
Yea, death, rather than these my bones. 

16 I am wasting away ; I shall not live alway ; 
Let me alone, for my days are a vapor ! 

17 What is man, that thou shouldst make great account of 

him, 
And fix thy mind upon him ? 

18 That thou shouldst visit him every morning, 
And prove him every moment ? 



I 



Ch. viii.] JOB. 47 

19 How long ere thou wilt look away from me, 
And let me alone, till I have time to breathe ? 

20 If I have sinned, what have I done to thee, O thou 

watcher of men ! 
Why hast thou set me up as thy mark, 
So that I have become a burden to myself? 

21 And why dost thou not pardon my transgression, 
And take away mine iniquity ? 

22 For soon shall I sleep in the dust ; 

And thou shalt seek me, but I shall not be. 



V. 

First speech of Bildad the Shuhite. — Ch. viii. 

1 Then answered Bildad the Shuhite, and said : 

2 How long wilt thou speak such things ? 

How long shall the words of thy mouth be like a strong 
wind? 

3 Will God pervert judgment ? 

Or will the Almighty pervert justice ? 

4 As thy children sinned against him, 

He hath given them up to their transgression. 

5 But if thou wilt seek early to God, 

And make thy supplication to the Almighty, 

6 If thou wilt be pure and upright, 
Surely he will yet arise for thee, 
And prosper thy righteous habitation ; 

7 So that thy beginning shall be small, 
And thy latter end very great. 



48 JOB. [Ch. viil 

8 For inquire, I pray thee, of the former age, 

And mark what hath been searched out by their fathers ; 

9 (For we are of yesterday and know nothing, 
Since days upon earth are but a shadow ;) 

10 Will not they instruct thee, and tell thee, 
And utter- words from their understanding ? 

n " Can the paper-reed grow up without mire ? 
" Can the bulrush grow without water ? 

12 " While it is yet in its greenness, and is not cut down, 
" It withereth before any other herb. 

13 " Such is the fate of all who forget God ; 
" So perisheth the hope of the ungodly. 

14 " His confidence shall come to nought, 

" And his trust shall prove a spider's web. 

15 " He shall lean upon his house, and it shall not stand ; 
" He shall lay fast hold on it, but it shall not endure. 

IB u He is in full green before the sun, 

" And his branches shoot forth over his garden ; 

17 " His roots are entwined about the heap, 
" And he seeth the place of stones ; 

18 " When he shall be destroyed from his place, 

" It shall deny him, saying, 4 1 never saw thee.' 

19 " Lo ! such is the joy of his course ! 

" And others shall spring up from his place.' 3 

20 Behold, God will not cast away an upright man ; 
Nor will he help the evil-doers. 

21 While he filleth thy mouth with laughter, 
And thy lips with gladness, 

22 They that hate thee shall be clothed with shame, 

And the dwelling-place of the wicked shall come to 
nought. 



Ch. ix. JOB. 49 

VI. 

Answer of Job. — Ch. rx., x. 

1 Then Job answered and said : 

2 Of a truth, I know that it is so ; 
For how can man be just before God ? 

3 If he choose to contend with him, 

He cannot answer him to one charge of a thousand. 
• 4 He is excellent in wisdom, mighty in strength ; 

Who hath hardened himself against him, and prospered ? 

5 He removeth the mountains, and they know it not ; 
He overturneth them in his anger. 

6 He shaketh the earth out of her place, 
And the pillars thereof tremble. 

7 He commandeth the sun, and it riseth not, 
And sealeth up the stars. 

8 He alone spreadeth out the heavens, 

And walketh upon the high waves of the sea. 

9 He made the Bear, Orion, and the Pleiads, 
And the secret chambers of the South. 

10 He doeth great things past finding out, 
Yea, wonderful things without number. 

11 Lo ! he goeth by me, but I see him not, 
He passeth along, but I do not perceive him. 

12 Lo ! he seizeth* who can hinder him ? 
Who will say to him, What doest thou ? 

13 God will not turn away his anger ; 

The proud helpers are brought low before him. 

14 How much less shall I answer him, 

And choose out words to contend with him ? 

15 Though I were innocent, I would not answer him ; 
I would cast myself on the mercy of my judge. 



50 JOB. [Cii. ix. 

16 Should I call, and he make answer to me, 

I could not believe that he listened to my voice ; 

17 He, that falleth upon me with a tempest, 
And multiplieth my wounds without cause ! 

18 That will not suffer me to take my breath, 
But filleth me with bitterness ! 

19 If I look to strength, " Lo ! here am I !" [saith he,] 
If to justice, " Who shall summon me to trial ? " 

20 Though I were upright, yet must my own mouth con- 

demn me ; 
Though I were innocent, He would prove me perverse. 

21 Though I were innocent, I would not care for myself; 
I would despise my life. 

22 It is all one ; therefore I will affirm, 

He destroyeth the righteous and the wicked alike. 

23 When the scourge bringeth sudden destruction, 
He laugheth at the sufferings of the innocent. 

24 The earth is given into the hands of the wicked ; 
He covereth the face of the judges thereof; 

If it be not he, who is it ? 

25 My days have been swifter than a courier; 
They have fled away ; they have seen no good. 

26 They have gone by like the reed-skiffs ; 
Like the eagle, darting upon his prey. 

27 If I say, I will forget my lamentation, 

I will change my countenance, and take courage, 

28 Still am I in dread of the multitude of my sorrows, 
For I know that thou wilt not hold me innocent. 

29 I shall be found guilty ; 

Why then should I labor in vain ? 

30 If I wash myself in snow, 

And cleanse my hands with lye, 



Ch. x.] JOB. 51 

31 Still wilt thou plunge me into the pit, 
So that my own clothes will abhor me, 

32 For He is not a man, as I am, that I may contend with 

him, 
And that we may go together into judgment ; 

33 There is no umpire between us, 
Who may lay his hand upon us both. 

34 Let him take from me his rod, 
And not dismay me with his terrors, 

35 Then will I speak, and not be afraid of him ; 
For I am not so at heart. 

1 I am weary of my life ; 

I will let loose within me my complaint ; 
I will speak in the bitterness of my soul. 

2 I will say unto God, Do not condemn me ! 
Show me wherefore thou contendest with me ! 

3 Is it a pleasure to thee to oppress, 
And to despise the work of thy hands, 
And to shine upon the plans of the wicked ? 

4 Hast thou eyes of flesh, 

Or seest thou as man seeth ? 

5 Are thy days as the days of man, 
Are thy years as the days of a mortal, 

6 That thou seekest after my iniquity, 
And searchest after my sin, 

7 Though thou knowest that I am not guilty, 
And that none can deliver from thy hand ? 

8 Have thy hands completely fashioned and made 

me 
In every part, that thou might'st destroy me ? 

9 O remember that thou *hast moulded me as clay ! 
And wilt thou bring me again to dust ? 



52 JOB. |Ch> x, 

10 Thou didst pour me out as milk, 
And curdle me as cheese ; 

11 With skin and flesh didst thou cloth me, 
And strengthen me with bones and sinews ; 

12 Thou didst grant me life and favor, 
And thy protection preserved my breath ; 

13 Yet these things thou didst lay up in thy heart ; 
I know that this was in thy mind. 

14 If I sin, then thou markest me, 

And wilt not acquit me of my iniquity. 

15 If I am wicked, — then woe unto me ! 
Yet if righteous, I dare not lift up my head ; 

I am fhll of confusion, beholding my affliction ; 

16 If I lift it up, like a lion, thou huntest me, 
And again showest thyself terrible to me. 

17 Thou renewest thy witnesses against me, 
And increasest thine anger toward me ; 
New hosts continually rise up against me. 

18 Why then didst thou bring me forth from the womb ? 
I should have perished, and no eye had seen me ; 

19 I should be as though I had not been ; 

I should have been borne from the womb to the grave. 

20 Are not my days few ? O spare then, 

And let me alone, that I may be at ease a little while, 

21 Before I go, — whence I shall not return, — 
To the land of darkness and death-shade, 

22 The land of darkness, like the blackness of death-shade, 
Where is no order, and where the light is as darkness. 



Ch. xi.] JOB. 53 

VII. 

First speech of Zophar the Naaraathite. — Ch. xi. 

1 Then answered Zophar the Naamathite, and said : 

2 Shall not the multitude of words receive an answer ? 
Shall the man of words be justified ? 

3 Shall thy boastings make men hold their peace ? 
Shalt thou mock, and none put thee to shame ? 

4 Thou sayest, My speech is pure ; 

I am clean in thine eyes, [O God !] 

5 But O that God would speak, 
And open his lips against thee ; 

6 That he would show thee the secrets of his wisdom, 
His wisdom, which is unsearchable ! 

Then shouldst thou know that God forgiveth thee many 
of thine iniquities. 

7 Canst thou search out the deep things of God ? 
Canst thou find out the Almighty to perfection ? 

8 'T is high as heaven, what canst thou do? 
Deeper than hell, what canst thou know ? 

9 The measure thereof is longer than the earth, 
And broader than the sea. 

10 If he apprehend, and bind, and bring to trial, 
Who shall oppose him ? 

11 For he knoweth the unrighteous ; 

He seeth iniquity, when they do not observe it. 

12 But vain man is without understanding ; 
Yea, man is born a wild ass's colt. 

13 If thou direct thy heart, 

And stretch out thy hands, toward him, 



54 JOB. [Ch. xh. 

14 If thou put away iniquity from thy hand, 
And let not wickedness dwell in thy habitation, 

15 Then shalt thou lift up thy face without spot ; 
Yea, thou shalt be steadfast, and have no fear. 

16 For thou shalt forget thy misery, 

Or remember it as waters that have passed away. 

17 Thy life shall be brighter than the noon-day ; 

Now thou art in darkness, thou shalt then be as the 
morning. 

18 Thou shall be secure, because there is hope ; 

Now thou art disappointed, thou shalt then rest in safety. 

19 Thou shalt lie down, and none shall make thee afraid ; 
And many shall make suit to thee. 

20 But the eyes of the wicked shall be wearied out ; J 
They shall find no refuge ; 

Their hope is — the breathing forth of life. 



VIII. 

Answer of Job. — Ch. xii., xiii., xiv. 

1 Then Job answered and said : 

2 No doubt ye are the whole people ! 
And wisdom will die with you ! 

3 But I have understanding as well as you ; 
I am not inferior to you ; 

Yea, who knoweth not such things as these ? 

4 I am become a laughing-stock to my friend ; 

I, who call upon God, that he would answer me ! 
The innocent and upright man is held in derision ! 






Ch. xii.] JOB. 55 

5 To calamity belongeth contempt in the mind of one at 

ease ; 
It is ready for them that slip with the feet. 

6 The tents of robbers are in prosperity, 
And they who provoke God are secure, 
Who carry their God in their hand. 

7 For ask now the beasts, and they will teach thee ; 
Or the fowls of the air, and they will tell thee ; 

8 Or speak to the earth, and it will instruct thee ; 
And the fishes of the sea will declare to thee ; 

9 Who among all these doth not know 

That the hand of Jehovah doeth these things ? 

10 In whose hand is the soul of every living thing, 
And the breath of all mankind. 

11 Doth not the ear prove words, 
As the mouth tasteth meat ? 

12 With the aged is wisdom, 

And with length of days is understanding. 

13 With Him are wisdom and strength ; 
With him counsel and understanding. 

14 Lo ! he pulleth down, and it shall not be rebuilt ; 
He bindeth a man, and he shall not be set loose. 

15 Lo ! he withholdeth the waters, and they are dried up ; 
He sendeth them forth, and they lay waste the earth. 

16 With him are strength and wisdom ; 
The deceived and the deceiver are his. 

17 He leadeth counsellors away captive, 
And judges he maketh fools. 

18 He looseth the authority of kings, 
And bindeth their loins with a cord. 

19 He leadeth priests away captive, 
And overthroweth the mighty. 

20 He removeth speech from the trusty, 

And taketh away judgment from the elders. 



56 JOB. [Ch. xiii. 

21 He poureth contempt upon princes, 
And looseth the girdle of the mighty. 

22 He revealeth deep things out of darkness, 
And bringeth the shadow of death to light. 

23 He exalteth nations, and destroyeth them ; 

He enlargeth nations, and leadeth them captive. 

24 He taketh away the understanding of the great men of 

the land, 
And causeth them to wander in a wilderness, where is 
no path ; 

25 They grope in the dark without light ; 

He maketh them stagger like a drunken man. 

1 Lo ! all this mine eye hath seen ; 
Mine ear hath heard and understood it. 

2 What ye know, I know also ; 
I am not inferior to you. 

3 But O that I might speak with the Almighty ! 
O that I might reason with God ! 

4 For ye are forgers of lies ; 
Physicians of no value, all of you ! 

5 O that ye would altogether hold your peace 
This, truly, would be wisdom in you. 

6 Hear, I pray you, my arguments ; 
Attend to the pleadings of my lips ! 

7 Will ye speak falsehood for God ? 
Will ye utter deceit for him ? 

8 Will ye be partial to his person ? 
Will ye contend earnestly for God ? 

9 Will it be well for you, if he search you thoroughly ? 
Can ye deceive him, as one may deceive a man ? 

10 Surely he will rebuke you, 

If ye secretly have respect to persons. 



Ch. xtii.] JOB. 

11 Doth not his majesty make you afraid, 
And his dread fall upon you ? 

12 Your maxims are words of dust ; 
Your fortresses are fortresses of clay. 

13 Hold your peace, and let me speak, 
And then come upon me what will ! 

14 Why do I take my flesh in my teeth, 
And put my life in my hand ? 

15 Lo ! he slayeth me, and I have no hope ! 
Yet will I justify my ways before him. 

16 This also shall be my deliverance ; 

For no unrighteous man will come before him. 

17 Hear attentively my words, 
And give ear to my declaration ! 

18 Behold, I have now set in order my cause ; 
I know that I am innocent. 

19 Who is he that can contend with me ? 
For then would I hold my peace, and die ! 

20 Only do not to me two things, 

Then will I not hide myself from thy presence ; 

21 Let not thy hand be heavy upon me, 
And let not thy terrors make me afraid ! 

22 Then call upon me, and I will answer ; 
Or I will speak, and answer thou me. 

23 How many are my iniquities and sins ? 

Make me to know my faults and transgressions. 

24 Wherefore dost thou hide thy face, 
And account me as thine enemy ? 

25 Wilt thou put in fear the driven leaf ? 
Wilt thou pursue the dry stubble ? 

26 For thou writest bitter things against me, 
And makest me inherit the sins of my youth. 



58 JOB. [Ch. xiv. 

27 Yea, thou puttest my feet in the stocks, 
And watchest all my paths ; 

Thou hemmest in the soles of my feet. 

28 And I, like an abandoned thing, shall waste away ; 
Like a garment which is moth-eaten. 

1 Man, that is born of woman, 

Is of few days, and full of trouble. 

2 He cometh forth as a flower, and is cut down ; 
He fleeth also as a shadow, and continueth not. 

3 And dost thou fix thine eyes upon such an one ? 
And dost thou bring me into judgment with thee ? 

4 Who can produce a clean thing from an unclean ? 
Not one. 

5 Seeing that his days are determined, 
And the number of his months, with thee, 

And that thou hast appointed him bounds, which he can- 
not pass, 

6 O turn thine eyes from him, and let him rest, 
That he may enjoy, as a hireling, his day ! 

7 For there is hope for a tree, 

If it be cut down, that it will sprout again, 
And that its tender branches will not fail ; 

8 Though its root may have grown old in the earth, 
And though its trunk be dead upon the ground, 

9 Through the scent of water it will bud, 
And put forth boughs, like a young plant. 

10 But man dieth, and he is gone ! 
Man expireth, and where is he ? 

11 The waters fail from the lake, 

And the stream waste th and drieth up ; 

12 So man lieth down, and riseth not ; 



Cfl. xiv.] JOB. 50 

Till the heavens be no more, he shall not awake, 
Nor be roused from his sleep. 

13 O that thou wouldst hide me in the under-world ! 

That thou wouldst conceal me till thy wrath be past ! 

That thou wouldst appoint me a time, and then remem- 
ber me ! 
u If a man die, can he live again ? 

All the days of my war-service would I wait, 

Till my change should come ! 

15 Thou wilt call, and I will answer thee ! 

Thou wilt have compassion upon the work of thy hands ! 

16 But now thou numberest my steps ; 
Thou watchest over my sins. 

17 My transgression is sealed up in a bag ; 
Yea, thou addest unto my iniquity. 

18 As the mountain falling cometh to nought, 
And the rock is removed from its place, 

19 As the waters wear away the stones, 

And the floods wash away the dust of the earth, 
So thou destroyest the hope of man. 

20 Thou prevailest against him continually, and he per- 

isheth ; 
Thou changest his countenance, and sendest him away, 

21 His sons come to honor, but he know^eth it not ; 
Or they are brought low, but he perceiveth it not. 

22 But his flesh shall have pain for itself alone ; 
For his soul alone shall it mourn. 



60 JOB. [Ch. xv. 

IX. 

Second speech of Eliphaz the Temanite. — Ch. xv. 

1 Then answered Eliphaz the Temanite, and said : 

2 Should a wise man answer with arguments of wind? 
Or fill his bosom with the east wind ? 

3 Should he argue with speech that helpeth him not, 
And with words which do not profit him ? 

4 Behold, thou makes t the fear of God a vain thing, 
And discouragest prayer before him. 

5 Yea, thy own mouth proclaimeth thine iniquity, 
Though thou choosest the tongue of the crafty. 

6 Thy own mouth condernneth thee, and not I ; 
Thy own lips testify against thee. 

7 Art thou the first man that was born ? 
Wast thou formed before the hills ? 

8 Hast thou listened in the council of God, 
And drawn all wisdom to thyself? 

9 What dost thou know, that we know not also ? 
What dost thou understand, that is a secret to us ? 

10 With us are the aged and hoary-headed ; 
Much older than thy father. 

11 Dost thou despise the consolations of God, 
And words so full of kindness to thee ? 

12 Why hath thy passion taken possession of thee ? 
And why this winking of thine eyes ? 

13 For against God hast thou turned thy spirit, 
And uttered such words from thy mouth. 



Ch. xv.] JOB. 61 

14 What is man, that he should be pure, 

And he that is born of woman, that he should be inno- 
cent? 

15 Behold, He putteth no trust in his ministering spirits, 
And the heavens are not pure in his sight ; 

16 Much less, abominable and polluted man, 
Who drinketh iniquity as water ! 

17 Hear me, and I will show thee, 

And that which I have seen will I declare ; 

18 Which the wise men have told, 

And have not kept concealed, having received it from 
their fathers, 

19 To whom alone the land was given, 

And among whom not a stranger wandered. 

20 " All his days the wicked man is in pain ;. 

" Yea, all the years, that are laid up for the oppressor. 

21 " A fearful sound is in his ears ; 

" In peace the destroyer cometh upon him. 

22 " He hath no hope that he shall escape from darkness ; 
" He is set apart for the sword. 

23 " He wandereth about seeking bread ; 

" He knoweth that a day of darkness is at hand. 

24 " Distress and anguish fill him with dread ; 

" They prevail against him, like a king ready for the 
battle. 

25 " Because he stretched forth his hand against God, 
" And bade defiance to the Almighty ; 

26 " And ran against him with outstretched neck, 
" With the thick bosses of his bucklers ; 

27 u Because he covered his face with fatness, 
" And gathered fat upon his loins, 

44 And dwelt in desolated cities, 
44 In houses which no man inhabiteth, 
6 



62 JOB. [Ck. xvi. 

" That are ready to become heaps. 

29 " He shall not be rich ; his substance shall not endure, 

" And his possessions shall not be extended upon the 
earth. 

30 " He shall not escape from darkness, 

46 And the flame shall dry up his branches ; 
" Yea, by the breath of His mouth shall he be taken 
away. 

31 " Let not man trust in vanity ; he will be deceived ; 
" For vanity shall be his recompense. 

32 " He shall come to his end before his time, 
" And his branch shall not be green. 

33 " He shall shake off his unripe fruit like the vine, 
" And shed his blossoms like the olive-tree. 

34 " The house of the unrighteous shall be famished, 
" And fire shall consume the tents of bribery. 

35 " They conceive mischief, and bring forth misery, 
" And their breast deviseth deceit." 



X. 

Answer of Job. — Ch. xvi* } xvn, 

1 But Job answered and said : 

2 Of such things as these I have heard enough ! 
Miserable comforters are ye all ! 

3 Will there ever be an end to words of wind ? 
What stirreth thee up that thou answerest ? 

4 I also might speak like you, 
If ye were now in my place ; 



Ch. xvii. j JOB. 03 

I might string together words against you, 
And shake my head at you. 

5 But I would strengthen you with my mouth, 
And the consolation of my lips should sustain you. 

6 If I speak, my grief is not assuaged, 
And if I forbear, it doth not leave me. 

7 For now He hath quite exhausted me ; — 
Thou hast desolated all my house ! 

8 Thou hast seized hold of me, and this is a witness against 

me ; 
My leanness riseth up and testifieth against me to my 
face. 

9 His anger teareth my flesh, and pursueth me ; 
He gnasheth upon me with his teeth ; 

My adversary sharpeneth his eyes upon me. 

10 They gape for me with their mouths ; 
In scorn they smite me on the cheek ; 
With one consent they assemble against me. 

11 God hath given me a prey to the unrighteous, 
And delivered me into the hands of the wicked. 

12 I was at ease, but he hath crushed me ; 

He hath seized me by the neck, and dashed me in pieces ; 
He hath set me up for his mark. 

13 His archers encompass me around ; 

He pierceth my reins, and doth not spare ; 
He poureth out my gall upon the ground. 

14 He breaketh me with breach upon breach ; 
He rusheth upon me like a warrior. 

15 I have sewed sackcloth upon my skin, 
And thrust my horn into the dust. 

16 My face is red with weeping, 

And upon my eyelids is deathlike darkness. 



fit 



JOB. 



[Ch. XYIl. 



17 Yet is there no injustice in my hands, 
And my prayer hath been pure, 

18 O earth, cover not thou my blood, 

And let there be no hiding-place for my cry ! 



19 Yet even now, behold, my witness is in heaven, 
And he that knoweth me is on high. 

20 My friends have me in derision, 

But my eye poureth out tears unto God. 

21 O that one might contend for a man with God, 
As a man contendeth with his neighbor ! 

22 For when a few years shall have passed, 

I shall go the way whence I shall not return, 
l > My breath is exhausted ; 
My days are at an end ; 
The grave is ready for me. 

2 Are not revilers before me ? 

And doth not my eye dwell upon their provocations ? 

3 Give a pledge, I pray thee ; be thou a surety for me 

with thee ; 
Who is he that will strike hands with me ? 

4 Behold, thou hast blinded their understanding ; 
Therefore thou wilt not suffer them to prevail. 

5 He that delivers up his friends as a prey, 
The eyes of his children shall fail. 

6 He hath made me the by-word of the people ; 
Yea, I have become their abhorrence. 

7 My eye therefore is dim with sorrow, 
And all my limbs are as a shadow. 

8 Upright men will be astonished at this, 

And the innocent will rouse themselves against the 
wicked. 



Ch, xviii.] JOB. 65 

9 The righteous will also hold on his way, 
And he that hath clean hands will gather strength, 

10 But as for you all, return, I pray ! 

I find not yet among you one wise man. 

11 My days are at an end ; 
My plans are broken off, 
Even the treasures of my heart. 

12 Night hath become day to me ; 
The light border eth on darkness. 

13 Yea, I look to the grave as my home ; 
I have made my bed in darkness. 

14 I say to the pit, Thou art my father ! 

And to the worm, My mother ! and, My sister ! 

15 Where then is my hope ? 

Yea, my hope, who shall see it ? 

16 It must go down to the bars of the under-world, 
As soon as there is rest for me in the dust ! 



XL 

Second speech of Bildad the Shuhite. — Ch. xviii. 

1 Then Bildad the Shuhite answered and said : 

2 How long ere ye make an end of words ? 
Understand, and then we will speak ! 

3 Why are we accounted as brutes, 
And reputed vile in your sight ? 

4 Thou that tearest thyself in thine anger ! 
Must th^earth be deserted for thee, 
And the rock removed from its place ? 



66 JOB. [Ch. xviil 

5 Behold, the light of the wicked shall be put out, 
And the flame of his fire shall not shine. 

6 Light shall become darkness in his tent, 
And his lamp over him shall go out. 

7 His strong steps shall be straitened, 
And his own plans shall cast him down. 

8 He is brought into the net by his own feet, 
And he walketh upon snares. 

9 The trap layeth hold of him by the heel, 
And the snare holdeth him fast. 

10 A net is secretly laid for him on the ground, 
And a trap for him in the pathway. 

11 Terrors affright him on every side, 
And harass him at his heels. 

12 His strength is wasted by hunger, 
And destruction is ready at his side. 

13 His limbs are consumed, 

Yea, his limbs are devoured by the first-born of death. 

14 He is torn from his tent, which was his confidence, 
And is borne away to the king of terrors. 

15 They, that are none of his, shall dwell in his tent ; 
Brimstone shall be scattered upon his habitation. 

16 His roots below shall be dried up, 

And his branches above shall be withered. 

17 His memory perisheth from the earth, 
And no name hath he in the land. 

18 He shall be thrust from light into darkness, 
And driven out of the world. 

19 He hath no son, nor kinsman among his people, 
Nor any survivor in his dwelling-place. 

20 They that come after him shall be amazed at his fate, 
As they that were before them were struck with horror. 

21 Yea, such is the dwelling of the unrighteous jjnan ; 
Such is the place of him that knoweth not God ! 






Ch. xix.] JOB. 67 

XII. 

Answer of Job. — Ch. xix. 

1 But Job answered and said : 

2 How long will ye vex my soul, 
And break me in pieces with words ? 

3 These ten times have ye reviled me ; 
Ye stun me without shame ! 

4 And be it, indeed, that I have erred, 
My error abideth with myself. * 

5 Since, indeed, ye magnify yourselves against me, 
And plead against me my reproach, 

6 Know then that it is God, who hath brought me low ; 
He hath encompassed me with his net. 

7 Behold, I complain of wrong, but receive no answer ; 
I cry aloud, but obtain no justice. 

8 He hath fenced up my way, so that I cannot pass, 
And hath set darkness in my paths. 

9 He hath stripped me of my glory, 
And taken the crown from my head. 

10 He hath destroyed me on every side, and I am gone ! 
He hath torn up my hope like a tree. 

11 He kindleth his anger against me, 
And counteth me as his enemy. 

12 His troops advance together against me ; 
They throw up for themselves a way to me, 
And encamp around my dwelling. 

13 My brethren he hath put far from me, 

And my acquaintance are wholly estranged from me. 

14 My kinsfolk have forsaken me, 

And my bosom friends have forgotten me. 



68 JOB. [Ch. xix. 

15 The foreigners of my house, yea, my own maid-servants, 

regard me as a stranger ; 
I am an alien in their eyes. 

16 I call my servant, and he maketh no answer ; 
With my own mouth do I entreat him. 

17 My breath is become strange to my wife, 
And I am loathsome to my own mother's sons. 

18 Even young children despise me ; 
When I rise up, they speak against me. 

19 All my bosom friends abhor me, 

And they whom I loved are turned against me. 

20 My bones cleave to my flesh and my skin, 

And I have scai^ely escaped with the skin of my teeth. 

21 Have pity upon me, O ye my friends, have pity upon me, 
For the hand of God hath smitten me ! 

22 Why do ye persecute me like God, 
And are not satisfied with my flesh ? 

23 O that my words were now written ! 

O that they were marked down in a scroll ! 

24 That with an iron pen, and with lead, 

They were engraven upon the rock forever ! — 

25 Yet I know that my Vindicator liveth, 
And will hereafter stand up on the earth ; 

26 And though with my skin this body be wasted away, 
Yet without my flesh shall I see God. 

27 Yea, T shall see him my friend ; 

My eyes shall behold him, and not another, 
For this my soul panteth within me. 

28 Since ye say, " How may we persecute him, 
And find grounds of accusation against him ? " 

2» Be ye afraid of the sword ; 

For malice is a crime for the sword ; 
That ye may know that judgment cometh- 



Ch. xx.] Job. ti,i 

XIII. 

Second speech of Zophar the Naamathite. — Ch. xx. 

1 Then answered Zophar the Naamathite, and said : 

2 For this do my thoughts lead me to reply, 
And for this is my ardor within me. 

3 I have heard my shameful rebuke, 

And the spirit, from my understanding, answereth for me. 

4 Knowest thou not, that from the days of old, 
From the time when man was placed upon the earth, 

5 The triumphing of the wicked hath been short, 
And the joy of the impious but for a moment ? 

6 Though his greatness mount up to the heavens, 
And his head reach to the clouds, 

7 Yet shall be perish forever, and be mingled with dust ; 
They who saw him shall say, Where is he ? 

8 He shall flee away like a dream, and shall not be found ; 
Yea, he shall disappear like a vision of the night. 

9 The eye also which saw him shall see him no more, 
And his dwelling-place shall never more behold him. 

10 His sons shall seek the favor of the poor, 
And their hands shall give back his wealth. 

11 His bones are full of his youth, 

But they shall lie down with him in the dust. 

12 Though wickedness be sweet in his mouth, 
Though he hide it under his tongue, 

13 Though he cherish it, and will not part with it, 
And keep it fast in his mouth, 



70 JOB. [Ch. xx. 

14 Yet his meat shall be changed within him, 
And become to him the poison of asps, 

15 He hath glutted himself with riches, • 
And he shall throw them up again ; 

Yea, God shall cast them out of his body. 

16 He shall suck the poison of asps ; 

The tongue of the viper shall destroy him. 

17 He shall never see the flowing streams, 
And the rivers of honey and milk. 

18 The fruits of his toil he shall give back, and shall not 

enjoy them ; 
It is substance to be restored, and he shall not rejoice 
therein. 

19 Because he hath oppressed and abandoned the poor, 
And seized upon the house which he did not build ; 

20 Because he knew no rest in his bosom, 

He shall not save that in which he delights. 

21 Because nothing escaped his greediness, 
His prosperity shall not endure. 

22 In the fulness of his abundance he shall be brought low ; 
Every hand of the wretched shall come upon him. 

23 He shall, indeed, have wherewith to fill himself; 
God shall send upon him the fury of his anger, 
And rain it down upon him for his food. 

24 If he fleeth from the iron weapon, 

The bow of brass shall pierce him through. 

25 He draw r eth the arrow, and it cometh forth from his body, 
Yea, the glittering steel cometh out of his gall. 

Terrors are upon him ; 

26 Calamity of every kind is treasured up for him. 
A fire, not blown, shall consume him ; 

It shall consume whatever is left in his tent. 



Ch. xxi.J JOB. 71 

27 The heavens shall reveal his iniquity, 
And the earth shall rise up against him. 

28 The substance of his house shall disappear ; 
It shall flow away in the day of His wrath. 

29 Such is the portion of the wicked man from God, 

And the inheritance appointed for him by the Almighty. 



XIV. 

Answer of Job. — Ch. xxi. 

1 But Job answered and said : 

2 Hear attentively my words ; 
And let this be your consolation. 

3 Bear with me, that I may speak ; 
And after I have spoken, mock on ! 

4 Is my complaint concerning man ? 
Why then should I not be angry ? 

5 Look upon me, and be astonished ! 
And lay your hand upon your mouth ! 

6 When I think of it, I am confounded ; 
Trembling taketh hold of my flesh. 

7 Why is it that the wicked live, 

Grow old, yea become mighty in substance ? 

8 Their children are established in their 'sight with them. 
And their offspring before their eyes. 

9 Their houses are in peace, without fear, 
And the rod of God cometh not upon them. 

in Their bull gendereth, and faileth not ; 

Their cow calveth, and easteth not her calf, 



72 



11 They send forth their little ones like a flock, 
And their children dance. 

12 They sing to the timbrel and harp, 
And rejoice at the sound of the pipe. 

13 They spend their days in prosperity, 

And in a moment go down to the underworld. 

14 And yet they say unto God, " Depart from us ! 
" We desire not the knowledge of thy ways ! 

15 " Who is the Almighty, that we should serve him ? 
" And what will it profit us, if we pray to him ? " 

16 [Thou say est,] u Lo ! their prosperity is not secure in 

their hands ! 
" Far from me be the conduct of the wicked ! " 

17 How often happens it, that the lamp of the wicked is 

put out, 
And that destruction cometh upon them, 
And that He dispenseth to them tribulations in his anger ? 

18 How often are they as stubble before the wind, 
Or as chaff, which the whirlwind carrieth away ? 

19 " But," [say ye,] " God layeth up his iniquity for his 

children." 
Let him requite the offender, and let him feel it ! 

20 Let his own eyes see his destruction ; 

And let him drink of the wrath of the Almighty ! 

21 For what concern hath he for his household after him, 
When the number of his own months is completed ? 



22 Who then shall impart knowledge to God, 
To him that judgeth the highest ? 

23 One dieth in the fulness of his prosperity, 
Being wholly at ease and quiet ; 

24 His sides are full of fat, 

And his bones moist with marrow. 



Ch. xxii.] JOB. 73 

25 Another dieth in bitterness of soul, 
And hath not tasted pleasure. 

26 Alike they lie down in the dust, 
And the worms cover them. 

27 Behold, I know your thoughts, 

And the devices by which ye wrong me. 

28 For ye say, " Where is the house of the oppressor, 
" And where the dwelling-places of the wicked ? " 

29 Have ye never inquired of travellers, 
And do ye not know their tokens, 

30 That the wicked is spared in the day of destruction, 
And that he is borne to his grave in the day of wrath ? 

31 Who will charge him with his conduct to his face, 
And who will requite him for the evil he hath done ? 

32 Even this man is borne with honor to the grave ; 
Yea, he watcheth over his tomb. 

33 Sweet to him are the sods of the valley, 
And all men move after him, 

As multitudes without number before him. 

34 Why then do ye offer your vain consolations ? 
Your answers continue false. 



XV. 

Third speech of Eliphaz the Temanite. — Ch. xxii. 

1 Then Eliphaz the Temanite answered and said : 

2 Can a man, then, profit God ? 
Behold, the wise man profiteth himself. 



74 JOB. f Ch. xxn. 

3 Is it a pleasure to the Almighty, that thou art right- 

eous ? 
Or a gain to him, that thou walkest uprightly ? 

4 Will he contend with thee because he feareth thee ? 
Will he enter with thee into judgment ? 

5 Hath not thy wickedness been great ? 
Have not thine iniquities been numberless ? 

6 For thou hast taken a pledge from thy brother unjustly, 
And stripped the poor of their clothing. 

7 Thou hast given the weary no water to drink, 
And withholden bread from the hungry. 

8 But the man of power, his was the land, 
-And the honorable man dwelt in it. 

9 Thou hast sent widows away empty, 
And broken the arms of the fatherless. 

10 Therefore snares are round about thee, 
And sudden fear confoundeth thee. 

11 Or darkness, through which thou canst not see, 
And the flood of waters covereth thee, 

12 Is not God in the height of heaven ? 
And behold the stars, how high they are ! 

13 Hence thou sayest, " What doth God know ? 
" Can he govern behind the thick darkness ? 

14 " Dark clouds are a veil to him, and he cannot see ; 
" And he walketh upon the arch of heaven." 

15 Wilt thou take the old way 
Which wicked men have trodden, 

16 Who were cut down before their time, 

And whose foundations were swept away by a flood ? 

17 Who said unto God, " Depart from us ! " 
And, " What can the Almighty do to us? " 

18 And yet he filled their houses with good things ! — 
Far from me be the counsel of the wicked ! 






Ch. xxii. ] JOB. t'j 

19 The righteous see their fate, and rejoice, 
And the innocent hold them in derision. 

20 " Truly our adversary is destroyed, 

" And fire hath consumed his abundance !" 

21 Acquaint now thyself with him, and be at peace ; 
Thus shall prosperity return to thee. 

22 Receive, I pray thee, instruction from his mouth, 
And lay up his words in thy heart. 

23 If thou return to the Almighty, thou shalt be built up ; 
If thou put away iniquity from thy tent. 

24 Cast to the dust thy gold, 

And the gold of Ophir to the stones of the brook, 

25 Then shall the Almighty be thy gold, 
Yea, treasures of silver unto thee ; 

26 For then shalt thou have delight in the Almighty, 
And shalt lift up thy face unto God. 

27 Thou shalt pray to him, and he shall hear thee, 
And thou shalt perform thy vows. 

28 The purpose which thou formest shall prosper with thee, 
And light shall shine upon thy ways. 

29 When men are cast down, thou shalt say, " There is 

lifting up !" 
And the humble person he will save. 

30 He will deliver even him that is not innocent ; 
The purity of thy hands shall save him. 



76 JOB. [Ch. xxiu. 

XVI. 

Answer of Job, — Oh. xxm., xxiv. 

1 Then Job answered and said : 

2 Still is my complaint bitter ; 

But my wound is deeper than my groaning. 

3 O that I knew where I might find him ! 
That I might go before his throne ! 

4 I would order my cause before him, 
And fill my mouth with arguments ; 

5 I should know what he would answer me, 
And understand what he would say to me. 

6 Would he contend with me with his mighty power ? 
No, he would have regard to me. 

7 Then would an upright man contend with him, 
And I should be fully acquitted by my judge. 

8 But, behold, I go eastward, and he is not there ; 
And westward, but I cannot perceive him ; 

9 To the north, where he worketh, but I cannot behold 

him ; 
He hideth himself on the south, and I cannot see him. 

10 But he knoweth the way which is in my heart ; 
When he trieth me, I shall come forth as gold. 

11 My feet have trodden in his steps ; 

His way I have kept, and have not turned aside from it. 

12 I have not neglected the precepts of his lips ; 

Above my own law have I esteemed the words of his 
mouth. 

13 But he is of one mind, and who can turn him ? 
And what he desireth, that he doeth, 



Ch. xxiy.J JOB. < | 

H He performeth that which is appointed for me ; 
And many such things are in his mind ! 

15 Therefore I am in terror on account of him, 
When I consider, I am afraid of him. 

16 For God maketh my heart faint ; 
Yea, the Almighty terrifieth me ; 

17 Because I was not taken away before darkness came, 
And he hath not hidden darkness from mine eyes. 

1 Why are not times treasured up by the Almighty, 
And why do not they, who know him, see his days ? 

2 They remove landmarks ; 

They take away flocks by violence, and pasture them. 

3 They drive away the ass of the fatherless, 
And take the widow's ox for a pledge. 

4 They push the needy from the way ; 

All the poor of the land are forced to hide themselves. 

5 Behold, like wild asses of the desert, they go forth to 

their work ; 
They search for prey ; 
The wilderness supplieth them food for their children. 

6 In the fields they reap the harvest, 
And gather the vintage of the oppressor. 

7 They lodge naked, without clothing, 
And without covering from the cold. 

8 They are drenched with the mountain showers, 
And embrace the rock for want of shelter. 

9 The fatherless are torn from the breast, 

And the garment of the needy is taken for a pledge. . 

10 They go naked, without clothing, 
And carry the sheaf hungry. 

11 They make oil within their walls, 
And tread the wine-vat, yet suffer thirst. 



78 JOB. [Ch.xxiv. 

12 Prom anguish the dying groan, 
And the wounded cry aloud ; 

And God regardeth not their prayer ! 

13 Others hate the light ; 
They know not its ways, 
And abide riot in its paths. 

14 With the light ariseth the murderer ; 
He killeth the poor and needy ; 

In the night he is as the thief. 

15 The eye of the adulterer watcheth for the twilight ; 
He saith, " No eye will see me," 

And putteth a mask upon his face. 

16 In the dark they break into houses ; 

In the daytime they shut themselves up ; 
They are strangers to the light. 

17 The morning is to them the very shadow of death ; 
They are familiar with the terrors of the shadow of 

death. 

18 Light are they on the face of the waters ; 
They have an accursed portion in the earth ; 
They come not near the vineyards. 

19 As drought and heat consume the snow waters, 
So doth the grave the wicked. 

20 His own mother forgetteth hii& ; 
The worm feedeth sweetly on him ; 
He is no more remembered, 

And iniquity is broken like a tree, 

21 He oppresseth the barren, that hath not borne, 
And doeth not good to the widow. 

22 He taketh away the mighty by his power ; 
He riseth up, and no one is sure of life. 



Ch. xxv.] JOB. 79 

23 God giveth them security, so that they are confident, 
And his eyes are upon their ways. 

24 They are exalted ; — in a little while they are gone ! 
They are brought low, and die, like all others ; 
And like the topmost ears of corn are they cut off. 

25 If it be not so, who will confute me, 
And show my discourse to be worthless ? 



XVII. 

Third speech of Bildad the Shuhite. — Ch. xxv. 

1 Then answered Bildad the Shuhite, and said : 

2 Dominion and fear are with Him ; 
He maintaineth peace in his high places. 

3 Is there any numbering of his hosts ? 
And upon whom doth not his light arise ? 

4 How then can man be righteous before God ? 
Or how can he be pure that is bom of woman ? 

5 Behold, even the moon, it shineth not, 
And the stars are not pure in his sight. 

6 How much less, man, a worm ! 
And the son of man, a reptile ! 



SO JOB. [Ch. xxvi. 

XVIII. 

Answer of Job. — Ch. xxvi. 

1 Then Job answered and said : 

2 How hast thou helped the weak, 
And strengthened the feeble arm ! 

3 How hast thou counselled the ignorant ! 
And revealed wisdom in fulness ! 

4 For whom hast thou uttered these words ? 
And whose spirit spake through thee ? 

5 Before Him the shades tremble 
Beneath the waters and their inhabitants. 

6 The under-world is naked before him, 
And destruction is without covering. 

7 He stretcheth out the north over empty space. 
And hangeth the earth upon nothing. 

8 He bindeth up the waters in his thick clouds, 
And the cloud is not rent under them. 

9 He covereth the face of his throne, 
And spreadeth his clouds upon it. 

10 He hath drawn a circular bound upon the waters, 

To the confines of light and darkness, 
n The pillars of heaven tremble 

And are confounded at his rebuke. 

12 By his power he stilleth the sea, 

Yea, by his wisdom he smiteth its pride. 

13 By his spirit he hath garnished the heavens ; 
His hand hath formed the fleeing Serpent. 

14 Lo ! these are but the borders of his works ; 
How faint the whisper we have heard of him ! 

But the thunder of his power who can understand ? 



Ch. xxvii. J JOB, 81 

XIX. 

Answer of Job to all three of his opponents. — Ch. xxvii., xxviii. 

1 Moreover Job continued his discourse, and said : 

2 As God liveth, who hath rejected my cause, 
And the Almighty, who hath afflicted my soul ; 

3 As long as my breath is in me, 

And the spirit of God is in my nostrils, 

4 Never shall my lips speak falsehood, 
Nor my tongue utter deceit. 

5 God forbid that I should acknowledge you to be just ; 
To my last breath will I assert my integrity. 

6 I will hold fast my innocence, and not let it go ; 
My heart reproacheth me for no part of my life. 

7 May mine enemy be as the wicked, 

And he that riseth up against me as the unrighteous ! 

8 For what is the hope of the wicked, when God cutteth 

off his web, 
And taketh away his life ? 

9 Will he listen to his cry, 
When trouble cometh upon him ? 

10 Can he delight himself in the Almighty, 
And call at all times upon God ? 

n I will teach you concerning the hand of God ; 
That which is with the Almighty I will not conceal. 

12 Behold, ye yourselves have all seen it ; 
Why then do ye cherish such vain thoughts ? 

13 This is the portion of the wicked man from God ; 

The inheritance which oppressors receive from the Al- 
mighty. 



82 JOB, [Ch xxviii. 

14 If his children be multiplied, it is for the sword ; 
And his offspring shall not be satisfied with bread. 

15 Those of them that escape shall be buried by Death, 
And their widows shall not bewail them. 

16 Though he heap up silver as dust, 
And procure raiment as clay, — 

17 He may procure, but the righteous shall wear it, 
And the innocent shall share the silver. 

18 He buildeth his house like the moth, 

Or like the shed which the watchman maketh. 

19 The rich man lieth down, and is not buried ; 
In the twinkling of an eye he is no more. 

20 Terrors pursue him like a flood ; 

A tempest stealeth him away in the night. 

21 The east wind carrieth him away and he perisheth ; 
Yea, it sweepeth him away from his place. 

22 God sendeth his arrows at him, and doth not spare ; 
He would fain escape from His hand. 

23 Men clap their hands at him, 
And hiss him away from his place. 

1 Truly there is a vein for silver, 

And a place for gold, which men refine. 

2 Iron is obtained from earth, 
And stone is melted into copper. 

3 Man putteth an end to darkness ; 
He searcheth, to the lowest depths, 

For the stone of darkness and the shadow of death. 

4 From the place where they dwell they open a shaft ; 
Forgotten by the feet, 

They hang down, they swing away from men. 

5 The earth, out of which cometh bread, 
Is torn up underneath, as it were by fire. 

6 Her stones are the place of sapphires, 
And she hath clods of gold for man. 



Ch. xxviii.] JOB. 83 

7 The path thereto no bird knoweth, 
And the vulture's eye hath not seen it ; 

8 The fierce wild beast hath not trodden it ; 
The lion hath not passed over it. 

9 Man layeth his hand upon the rock ; 

He upturneth mountains from their roots, - 

10 He cleaveth out streams in the rocks, 
And his eye seeth every precious thing ; 

11 He bindeth up the streams, that they trickle not, 
And bringeth hidden things to light. 

12 But where shall wisdom be found ? 
And where is the place of understanding ? 

13 Man knoweth not the price thereof; 

Nor can it be found in the land of the living. 

14 The deep saith, It is not in me ; 
And the sea saith, It is not with me. 

15 It cannot be gotten for gold, 

Nor shall silver be weighed out as the price thereof. 

16 It cannot be bought with the gold of Ophir, 
With the precious onyx, or the sapphire-. 

17 Gold and crystal are not to be compared with it ; 
Nor can it be purchased with jewels of fine gold. 

18 No mention shall be made of coral, or of crystal, 
For wisdom is more precious than pearls. 

19 The topaz of Ethiopia cannot equal it, 
Nor can it be purchased with pure gold. 

20 Whence then cometh wisdom ? * 
And where is the place of understanding ? 

21 Since it is hidden from the eyes of all living, 
And kept close from the fowls of the air. 

22 Destruction and Death say, 

We have heard a rumor of it with our ears. 



84 JOB. [Ch. xxix. 

23 God knoweth the way to it ; 
He knoweth its dwelling-place. 

24 For he seeth to the ends of the earth, 

And surveyeth all things under the whole heaven. 

25 When he gave the winds their weight, 
And meted out the waters by measure ; 

26 When he prescribed a law to the rain, 
And a path to the thunderflash ; 

27 Then did he see it, and make it known ; 
He established it, and searched it out ; 

28 But he said unto man, 

Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom, • 
And to depart from evil is understanding. 



XX. 

Job's review of his past life. — Ch. xxix.-xxxi. 

1 Moreover Job continued his discourse, and said 

2 O that I were as in months past, 

In the days when God was my guardian ! 

3 When his lamp shined over my head, 

And when by his light I walked through darkness ! 

4 As I was in my autumn, days 

When the friendship of God was over my tent ; 

5 When the Almighty was yet with me, 
And my children were around me ; 

6 When I bathed my steps in milk, 

And the rock poured me out rivers of oil ! 



Ch. xxix. J JOB. 85 

7 When I went forth to the gate by the city, 
And took my seat in the market-place, 

8 The young men saw me and hid themselves, 
And the aged arose, and stood. 

9 The princes refrained from speaking, 
And laid their hand upon their mouth. 

10 The nobles held their peace, 

And their tongue cleaved to the roof of their mo nth , 

11 When the ear heard me, then it blessed me, 
And when the eye saw me, it gave witness to me. 

12 For I delivered the poor, when they cried, 
And the fatherless, who had none to help him. 

13 The blessing of him that was ready to perish came upon 

me, 
And I caused the heart of the widow to sing for joy. 

14 I clothed myself with righteousness, and it clothed it- 

self with me ; 
And justice was my robe and diadem. 

15 I was eyes to the blind, 
And feet was I to the lame ; 

16 I was a father to the poor, 

And the cause of him I knew not I searched out ; 

17 And I broke the teeth of the wicked, 
And plucked the spoil from his jaws. 

18 Then said I, " I shall die in my nest ; 
" I shall multiply my days as the sand. 

19 " My root is spread abroad to the waters, 
" And the dew abideth on my branches. 

20 " My glory is fresh with me, 

" And my bow gathereth strength in my hand." 

21 To me men gave ear, and waited, 
And kept silence for my counsel. 

22 To my words they made no reply, 

When my speech drooped down upon them. 



86 JOB. [Ch. xxx. 

23 Yea, they waited for me as for the rain ; 

They opened their mouths wide as for the latter rain. 

24 If I smiled upon them, they believed it not ; 

Nor did they cause the light of my countenance to 
fall. 

25 When I came among them, I sat as chief; 
I dwelt as a king in the midst of an army ; 
As a comforter among mourners. 

1 But now they that are younger than I hold me in de- 

rision, 
Whose fathers I would have disdained to set with the 
dogs of my flock. 

2 Of what use to me is even the strength of their hands, 
To whom old age hath perished ? 

3 By want and hunger they are famished ; 
They gnaw the dry desert, 
The darkness of desolate wastes. 

4 They gather purslain among the bushes, 
And the root of the broom is their bread. 

5 They are driven from the society of men ; 
There is a cry after them as after a thief. 

6 They dwell in gloomy valleys, 
In caves of the earth and in rocks. 

7 They bray among the bushes ; 
Under the brambles are they stretched out. 

8 An impious and low-born race, 
They are beaten out of the land. 

9 And now I am become their song ; 
Yea, I am their by-word ! 

10 They abhor me, they stand aloof from me ; 
They forbear not to spit before my face. 

11 Yea, they let loose the reins, and humble me ; 
They cast off 9 the bridle before me. 

12 On my right hand riseth up a brood ; 



Ch. xxx. ] JOB, 87 

They thrust away my feet ; 

They east up against me their destructive ways. 

13 They break up my path ; 
They hasten my fall ; — 
They, that have no helper ! 

14 They come upon me as through a wide breach ; 
Through the ruins they rush in upon me. 

15 Terrors are turned against me ; 

They pursue my prosperity like the wind, 
And my welfare passeth away like a cloud. 

16 And now my soul poureth itself out upon me ; 
Days of affliction have taken hold of me. 

17 By night my bones are pierced ; they are torn from me, 
And my gnawers take no rest. 

18 Through the violence of my disease is my garment 

changed ; 
It bindeth me about like the collar of my tunic. 

19 He hath cast me into the mire, 

And I am become like dust and ashes. 

20 I call upon Thee, but thou dost not hear me ; 

I stand up before thee, but thou regardest me not. 

21 Thou art become cruel to me ; 

With thy strong hand dost thou lie in wait for me. » 

22 Thou liftest me up, and causest me to ride upon the 

wind ; 
Thou meltest me away in the storm. 

23 I know that thou wilt bring me to death, 
To the place of assembly for all the living. 

24 When He stretcheth out his hand, prayer availeth noth- 

ing 5 
When He bringeth destruction, vain is the cry for help. 

25 Did not I weep for him that was in trouble ? 
Was not my soul grieved for the poor ? 



88 JOB. [Ch. xxxr. 

26 But when I looked for good, then evil came ; 
When I looked for light, then came darkness. 

27 My bowels boil, and have no rest ; 
Days of anguish have come upon me. 

28 I am black, but not by the sun ; 

I stand up, and utter my cries in the congregation. 

29 I am become a brother to jackals, 
And a companion to ostriches. 

30 My skin is black, and falleth from me, 
And my bones burn with heat. 

31 My harp also is turned to mourning, 
And my pipe to notes of grief. 

1 I made a covenant with mine eyes ; 
How then could I gaze upon a maid ? 

2 For what is the portion appointed by God from above, 
And the inheritance allotted by the Almighty from on 

high ! 

3 Is not destruction for the wicked, 
And ruin for the workers of iniquity ? 

4 Doth He not see my ways, 
And number all my steps ? 

f> If I have walked with falsehood, 
And if my foot hath hasted to deceit, 

6 Let him weigh me in an even balance, 
Yea, let God know my integrity ! 

7 If my steps have turned aside from the way, 
And my heart gone after mine eyes, 

Or if any stain hath cleaved to my hand, 

8 Then may I sow, and another eat, 
And what I plant, may it be rooted up ! 

9 If my heart hath been enticed by a woman, 
Or if I have watched at my neighbor's door, 



Oh. xxxi. J JOB. 89 

10 Then let my wife grind for another, 
And let other men lie with her ! 

11 For this were a heinous crime, 

Even a transgression to be punished by the judges ; 

12 Yea, it were a fire, that would consume to destruc- 

tion, 
And root out all my increase. 

13 If I have refused justice to my man=servant or maid- 

servant, 
When they had a controversy with me, 

14 Then what shall I do when God riseth up, 
And when he visiteth, what shall I answer him ? 

15 Did not he that made me in the wornb make him ? 
Did not one fashion us in the womb ? 

16 If I have refused the poor their desire, 
And caused the eyes of the widow to fail ; 

17 If I have eaten my morsel alone, 

And the fatherless hath not partaken of it ; 

18 Nay, from my youth he grew up with me, as with a 

father, 
And I have helped the widow from my mother's womb ; 

19 If I have seen any one perishing for want of clothing, 
Or any poor man without covering. 

20 If his loins have not blessed me, 

And he hath not been warmed with the fleece of my 
sheep ; 

21 If I have shaken my hand against the fatherless, 
Because I saw my help in the gate, 

22 Then may my shoulder fall from its blade, 
And my fore-arm be broken from its bone ? 

23 For destruction from God was a terror to me, 
And before his majesty I could do nothing. 

8* 



90 JOB. ICh. xxxi, 

24 If I have made gold my trust, 

Or said to the fine gold, Thou art my confidence ; 

25 If I have rejoiced, because my wealth was great, 
And my hand had found abundance ; 

26 If I have beheld the sun in his splendor, 
Or the moon advancing in brightness, 

27 And my heart hath been secretly enticed, 
And my mouth hath kissed my hand, — 

28 This also were a crime to be punished by the judge ; 
For I should have denied the God who is above. 

29 If I have rejoiced at the destruction of him that hated 

me, 
And exulted when evil came upon him ; 

30 Nay, I have not suffered my mouth to sin, 
By asking with curses his life. 

31 If the men of my tent have not exclaimed, 

" Who is there that hath not been satisfied with his 
meat?" 

32 The stranger did not lodge in the street ; 
I opened my doors to the traveller. 

83 Have I, after the manner of men, hidden my transgres- 
sion, 
Concealing my iniquity in my bosom, 

34 Then let me be confounded before the great multitude ! 
Let the contempt of families cover me with shame ! 
Yea, let me keep silence ! let me never appear abroad ! 

35 O that there were one who would hear me ! 
Behold my signature ! let the Almighty answer me, 
And let mine adversary write down his charge ! 

36 Truly I would wear it upon my shoulder ; 
I would bind it upon me as a crown. 

37 I would disclose to him all my steps; 
I would approach him like a prince. 



Ch. xxxii.] JOB. 91 

38 If my land cry out against me, 
And its furrows bewail together ; 

39 If I have eaten of its fruits without payment, 
And wrung out the life of its owners ; 

40 Let thorns grow up instead of wheat, 
And noxious weeds instead of barley. 

The words of Job are ended. 



XXI. 

Speech of Eliliu. — Ch. xxxii. - xxxvii. 

1 So these three men ceased to answer Job, because he 

2 was righteous in his own eyes. Then was kindled the 
wrath of Elihu, the son of Barachel, the Buzite, of the 
family of Ram ; against Job was his wrath kindled, 
because he accounted himself righteous, rather than 

3 God. Against his three friends also was his wrath 
kindled, because they had not found an answer, and yet 

4 had condemned Job. Now Elihu had delayed to reply 

5 to Job, because they were older than himself. But 
when Elihu saw that there was no answer in the mouth 

6 of these three men, his wrath was kindled. Then spake 
Elihu, the son of Barachel, the Buzite, and said : 

I am young, and ye are very old ; 
Therefore I was afraid, 
And durst not make known to you my opinion. 

7 I said " Days should speak, 

u And the multitude of vears should teach wisdom." 



92 JOB. fCn. xxxti. 

8 But it is the spirit in man, 

Even the inspiration of the Almighty, that giveth him 
understanding. 

9 Great men are not always wise, 

Nor do the aged always understand what is right. 
10 Therefore, I pray, listen to me ; 
I also will declare my opinion. 

li Behold, I have waited for your words, 
I have listened to your arguments, 
Whilst ye searched out what to say ; 

12 Yea, I have attended to you ; 

And behold, none of you hath refuted Job, 
Nor answered his words. 

13 Say not, then, " We have found out wisdom ; 
" God must conquer him, not man." 

14 He hath not directed his discourse against me, 
And with speeches like yours will I not answer him. 

15 They were confounded ! they answered no more ! 
They could say nothing ! 

16 I waited, but they spake not ; 

They stood still ; they answered no more ! 

17 Therefore will I answer, on my part ; 
I also will show my opinion. 

is For I am full of matter ; 

The spirit within me constraineth me. 

19 Behold, my bosom is as wine that hath no vent ; 
Like bottles of new wine, which are bursting. 

20 I will speak, that I may be relieved ; 
I will open my lips and answer. 

21 I will not be partial to any man's person, 
Nor will I flatter any man. 

22 For I know not how to flatter ; 
Soon would ray Maker take me away. 



Cu. xxxiii.] JOB. 93 

1 Hear, therefore, my discourse, I pray thee, O Job, 
And attend to all my words ! 

2 Behold, I am opening my mouth ; 

My tongue is now speaking in my palate. 

3 My words shall be in the uprightness of my heart ; 
My lips shall utter my knowledge purely. 

4 The spirit of God made me, 

And the breath of the Almighty gave me life ; 

5 If thou art able, answer me ; 

Set thyself in array against me ; stand up ! 

6 Behold, I, like thee, am a creature of God ; 
I also was formed of clay. 

7 Behold, my terror cannot dismay thee, 
Nor can my greatness be heavy upon thee. 

8 Surely thou hast said in my hearing, 
I have heard the sound of thy words : 

9 " I am pure, and without transgression ; 

u I am clean, and there is no iniquity in me. 

10 " Behold, he seeketh causes of hostility against me ; 
" He regardeth me as his enemy. 

11 " He putteth my feet in the stocks ; 
" He watcheth all my paths." 

12 Behold, in this thou art not right ; I will answer thee ; 
For God is greater than man ; 

13 Why dost thou contend with Him ? 

For he giveth no account of any of his doings. 

14 For God speaketh once, 

Yea, twice, when man regardeth it not ; 

15 In a dream, in a vision of the night, 
When deep sleep falleth upon men, 
In slumber upon the bed ; 

16 Then openeth he the ears of men, 
And sealeth up for them admonition ; 



94 JOB. [Ch, xxxiii, 

17 That he may turn man from his purpose, 
And hide pride from man. 

18 Thus he saveth him from the pit, 

Yea, his life from perishing by the sword. 

19 He is chastened also with pain upon his bed, 
And with a continual agitation of his bones, 

20 So that his mouth abhorreth bread, 
And his taste the choicest food ; 

21 His flesh is consumed, that it cannot be seen, 
And his bones, that were invisible, are naked ; 

22 Yea, his soul draweth near to the pit, 
And his life to the destroyers. 

23 But if there be with him a messenger, 
An interpreter, one of a thousand, 
Who may show unto man his duty, 

24 Then will God be gracious to him, and say, 
" Save him from going down to the pit, 

u I have found a ransom." 

25 His flesh shall become fresher than a child's : 
He shall return to the days of his youth. 

26 He shall pray to God, and he will be favorable to him, 
And permit him to see his face with joy, 

And restore unto man his righteousness. 

27 He shall sing among men, and say, 
" I sinned, I acted perversely, 

" Yet hath he not requited me for it ; 

28 " He hath delivered me from going down to the pit, 
" And my life beholdeth the light." 

i 

29 Lo ! all these things doeth God, 
Time after time, with man, 

30 That lie may bring him back from the pit, 
That he may enjoy the light of the living. 



Ch. xxxiv.] JOB. 95 

31 Mark well, O Job, hearken to me ! 
Keep silence, and I will speak. 

32 Yet if thou hast any thing to say, answer me ! 
Speak ! for I desire to pronounce thee innocent. 

33 But if not, do thou listen to me ! 

Keep silence, and I will teach thee wisdom ! 

1 And Elihu proceeded, and said : 

2 Hear my words, ye wise men ! 

Give ear to me, ye that have knowledge ! 

3 For the ear trieth words, 
As the mouth tasteth meat. 

4 Let us examine for ourselves what is right ; 
Let us know among ourselves what is true. 

5 Job hath said, " I am righteous, 
" And God refuseth me justice. 

6 " Though I am innocent, I am made a liar ; 

" My wound is incurable, though I am free from trans- 
gression." 

7 Where is the man like Job, 
Who drinketh impiety like water ; 

8 Who goeth in company with evil-doers, 
And walketh with wicked men ? 

9 For he hath said, " A man hath no advantage, 
" When he delighteth himself in God." 

10 Wherefore hearken to me, ye men of understanding ! 
Far be iniquity from God ! 

Yea, far be injustice from the Almighty ! 

11 For what a man hath done he will requite him, 
And render to every one according to his deeds. 

12 Surely God will not do iniquity, 

Nor will the Almighty pervert justice. 



96 JOB. [Ch. xxxi v. 

13 Who hath given him the charge of the earth ? 
Or who hath created the whole world ? 

14 Should he set his heart against man, 
Should he take back his spirit, and his breath, 

15 All flesh would then expire together ; 
Yea, man would return to the dust. 

16 If thou hast understanding, hear this ! 
Give ear to the voice of my words ! 

17 Shall he, that hateth justice, govern ? 

Wilt thou then condemn the just and mighty One ? 

18 Is it fit to say to a king, Thou art wicked ; 
Or to princes, Ye are unrighteous ? 

19 How much less to him that is not partial to princes, 
Nor regardeth the rich more than the poor ? 

For they are all the work of his hands. 

20 In a moment they die ; yea, at midnight 
Do the people stagger and pass away, 

And the mighty are destroyed, without hand. 

21 For his eyes are upon the ways of man ; 
He seeth all his steps. 

22 There is no darkness, nor shadow of death, 
Where evil-doers may hide themselves. 

23 He needeth not attend long to a man, 
That he may go into judgment before God ; 

24 He dasheth in pieces the mighty without inquiry, 
And setteth up others in their stead. 

25 Therefore he knoweth their works, 

And in a night he overthroweth them, so that they are 
destroyed. 

26 On account of their wickedness he smiteth them, 
In the presence of many beholders ; 

27 Because they turned away from him, 
And had no regard to his ways, 



Ch, xxxv.l JOB. 97 

28 And caused the cry of the poor to come before him ; 
For he heareth the cry of the oppressed. 

29 When he giveth rest, who can cause trouble ? 
And when he hideth his face, 

Who can behold him ? 

30 So is it with nations and individuals alike ! 
So that the wicked may no more rule, 
And may not be snares to the people. 

31 Surely thou shouldst say unto God, 

" I have received chastisement ; I will no more offend ! 

32 " What I see not, teach thou me ! 

" If I have done iniquity, I will do it no more." 

33 Shall he recompense according to thy mind, 

Because thou refusest, or because thou choosest, and not 

he? 
Speak, if thou hast knowledge ! 

34 Men of understanding, 

Wise men, who hear me, will say, 

35 " Job hath spoken without knowledge, 
" And his words are without wisdom." 

36 My desire is, that Job may be tried to the last, 
For answering like wicked men. 

37 For he addeth impiety to his sin ; 
He clappeth his hands among us, 
And multiplieth words against God. 

1 Moreover Elihu proceeded, and said : 

2 Dost thou then think this to be right ? 

Thou hast said, " I am more righteous than God." 

3 For thou askest, " What advantage have I ? 

" What have I gained, more than if I had sinned ?" 

4 I will answer thee, 

And thy companions with thee. 



98 JOB. |Ch. xxxvl 

5 Look up to the heavens, and see ! 

And behold the clouds, which are high above thee ! 

6 If thou sinnest, what doest thou against Him ? 

If thy transgressions be multiplied, what doest thou to 
him? 

7 If thou art righteous, what dost thou give him ? 
Or what receiveth he at thine hand ? 

8 Thy wickedness injureth only a man like thyself ; 
And thy righteousness profiteth only the son of man. 

9 The oppressed cry out on account of the multitude of 

wrongs ; 
They cry aloud on account of the arm of the mighty ; 

10 But none saith, " Where is God, my Maker, 
" Who giveth songs in the night ; 

11 " Who teacheth us more than the beasts of the earth, 
" And maketh us wiser than the birds of heaven ?" 

12 There they cry aloud on account of the pride of the 

wicked, 
But he giveth no answer. 

13 For God will not hear the vain supplication, 
Nor will the Almighty regard it ; 

14 Much less, w T hen thou sayest thou canst not see him ! 
Justice is with him, only wait thou for him ! 

15 But now, because he hath not visited in his anger, 
Nor taken strict note of transgression, 

16 Therefore Job hath opened his mouth rashly, 
And multiplied words without knowledge. 

1 Elihu also proceeded, and said : 

2 Bear with me a little while, that I may show thee ! 
For I have yet words in behalf of God, 

3 I will bring my knowledge from afar, 
And assert the justice of my Maker, 



Ch. xxxvi. J JOB. 99 

4 Truly my words shall not be false ; 

A man of sound knowledge is before thee, 

5 Behold, God is great, but despiseth not any ; 
Great is he in strength of understanding. 

6 He suffereth not the wricked to prosper, 
But rendereth justice to the oppressed. 

7 He withdraweth not his eyes from the righteous, 
But with kings upon the throne 

He establisheth them for ever, and they are exalted. 

8 And if they be bound in fetters, 
And holden in the cords of affliction, 

9 Then showeth he them their deeds, 

And how they have set him at defiance by their trans- 
gressions ; 

10 He also openeth their ears to admonition, 

And commandeth them to return from iniquity. 

11 If they obey and serve him, 

They spend their days in prosperity, 
And their years in pleasures. 

12 But if they obey not, they perish by the sword ; 
They die in their own folly. 

13 The corrupt in heart treasure up wrath ; 
They cry not to God, when he bindeth them, 

14 They die in their youth ; 

They close their lives with the unclean. 

1 5 But he delivereth the poor in their distress ; 
He openeth their ears in affliction. 

16 He w T ill bring thee also from the jaws of distress, 
To a broad place, where is no straitness, 

And the provision of thy table shall be full of fatness. 

17 But if thou art full of the judgment of the wicked, 
Judgment and justice shall take hold on thee. 



100 JOB. [Ch. xxxvi. 

18 For if wrath be with him, beware lest he take thee away 

•by his stroke, 
So that a great ransom shall not save thee ! 

19 Will He esteem thy riches ? 

No ! neither thy gold, nor all the abundance of thy 
wealth. 

20 Long not thou for that night, 

To which nations are taken away from their place. 

21 Take heed, turn not thine eyes to iniquity ! 
For this hast thou chosen rather than affliction. 

22 Behold, God is exalted in his power ; 
Who is a teacher like him ? 

23 Who hath prescribed to him his way ? 
Or who can &ay to him, " Thou hast done wrong " ? 

24 Forget not to magnify his work, 
Which men celebrate with songs. 

25 All mankind gaze upon it ; 
Mortals behold it from afar. 

26 Behold, God is great ; we cannot know him, 
Nor search out the number of his years. 

27 Lo ! he draweth up the drops of water, 
Which distil rain from his vapor ; 

28 The clouds pour it down, 
And drop it upon man in abundance. 

29 Who can understand the spreading of his clouds, 
And the rattling of his pavilion ? 

30 Behold, he spreadeth around himself his light, 
And he clotheth himself with the depths of the 

sea. 

31 By these he punisheth nations, 
And by these he giveth food in abundance. 

32 His hands he covereth with lightning ; 
He giveth it commandment against an enemy ; 



(ii. xxxvii.] JOB. 101 

33 His thunder maketh him known, 

Yea, to the herds, as he ascendeth on high. 

1 At this my heart trembleth, 
And leapeth out of its place. 

2 Hear, O hear, the thunder of his voice, 

And the noise which goeth forth from his mouth ! 

3 He directeth it under the whole heaven, 
And his lightning to the ends of the earth. 

4 .After it the thunder roareth ; 

He thundereth with his voice of majesty, 
And restraineth it not, when his voice is heard. 

5 God thundereth with his voice marvellously ; 

Great things doeth he, which we cannot comprehend. 

6 For he saith to the snow T , " Be thou on the earth ! " 
To the shower also, even the showers of his might. 

7 He sealeth up the hand of every man, 

That all men whom he hath made may acknowledge 
him. 

8 Then the beasts go into dens. 
And abide in their caverns. 

9 Out of the south cometh the whirlwind, 
And cold out of the north. 

10 By the breath of God ice is formed, 

And the broad waters become narrow r . 
n Yea, with moisture he burdeneth the clouds ; 

He spreadeth abroad his lightning-clouds, 

12 They move about by his direction, 

To execute all his commands throughout the world ; 

13 Whether he cause them to come for punishment, 
Or for the land, or for mercy. 

14 Give ear to this, O Job ! 

Stand still, and consider the wondrous works of God ! 



102 JOB. [Ch. xxxvii. 

15 Dost thou know when God gave commandment to them, 
And caused the lightning of his cloud to flash ? 

16 Dost thou understand the balancing of the clouds, 
The wondrous works of him that is perfect in knowledge ? 

17 How thy garments become warm, 

When he maketh the earth still by the south wind ? 

18 Canst thou like him spread out the sky, 
Which is firm like a molten mirror ? 

19 Teach us what we shall say to him ! 

For we cannot address him by reason of darkness. 

20 Shall it be told him that I would speak ? 
Shall a man speak, that he may be consumed ? 

21 For now men do not look upon the light, 
When it is bright in the skies, 

When the wind hath passed over them, and made them 
clear ; 

22 From the north cometh gold ; — 
But with God is terrible majesty ! 

23 The Almighty, we cannot find him out ; 
Great is he in power and justice, 

Abundant in righteousness, he doth not oppress. 

24 Therefore let men fear him ! 

Upon none of the wise in heart will he look. 



Cn. xxxvm.J JOB. lOj 



XXII. 



Jehovah's reproof of Job — Ch. xxxviii., xxxix. 

1 Then spake Jehovah to Job out of the whirlwind, 

and said : 

2 Who is this, that darkeneth counsel by words without 

knowledge ? 

3 Gird up thy loins like a man ! 

I will ask thee, and answer thou me ! 

4 Where wast thou, when I laid the foundations of the 

earth ? 
Declare, if thou hast understanding ! 

5 Who fixed its dimensions, that thou should'st know it I 
Or who stretched out the line upon it ? 

6 Upon what were its foundations fixed ? 
And who laid its corner-stone, 

7 When the morning-stars sang together, 
And all the sons of God shouted for joy ? 

8 And who shut up the sea with doors, 
When it burst forth as from the womb ? 

9 When I made the clouds its mantle, 
And thick darkness its swaddling-band ; 

10 When I appointed for it my bound, 

And fixed for it bars and doors ; 
n And said, Thus far shalt thou come, and no farther, 

And here shall thy proud waves be stayed ! 

12 Hast thou, in thy life, given charge to the morning, 
Or caused the day-spring to know its place. — 



104 JOB. [Ch. xxxviii. 

13 That it should lay hold of the ends of the earth, 
And shake the wicked out of it ? 

14 It is changed as clay by the seal ; 

And all things stand forth as in rich apparel. 

15 But from the wicked their light is withheld, 
And the high-raised arm is broken. 

iti Hast thou visited the springs of the S3a, 
And walked through the recesses of the deep ? 

17 Have the gates of death been disclosed to thee, 
And hast thou seen the gates of the shadow of death ? 

18 Hast thou surveyed the breadth of the earth ? 
Declare, if thou knowest it all ! 

19 Where is the way to the abode of light ? 
And darkness, where is its dwelling-place ? 

20 That thou should'st lead it to its boundary, 

And that thou should'st know the paths to its mansion ! 

21 Surely thou knowest ! for thou wast then born ! 
And the number of thy years is great ! 

22 Hast thou visited the store-houses of the snow, 
Or seen the treasuries of the hail, 

23 Which I have reserved against the time of trouble, 
Against the day of battle and war ? 

24 What is the way to where light is distributed. 
And the east wind spread abroad upon the earth ? 

25 Who hath prepared channels for the rain, 
And a path for the thunder-flash, 

26 To give rain to the land without an inhabitant, 
To the wilderness, wherein is no man ; 

27 To satisfy the desolate and waste ground, 
And cause the tender herb to spring forth ? 



Ch. xxxix.J JOB. 105 

28 Hath the rain a father ? 

Or who hath begotten the drops of the dew ? 

29 Out of whose womb came the ice ? 

And who hath gendered the hoar-frost of heaven ? 

30 The waters are hid as under stone, 
And the face of the deep becometh solid. 

31 Canst thou fasten the bands of the Pleiads, 
Or loosen the chains of Orion ? 

32 Canst thou lead forth the Signs in their season, 
Or guide the Bear with her sons ? 

33 Knowest thou the ordinances of the heavens ? 
Hast thou appointed their dominion over the earth ? 

34 Canst thou lift up thy voice to the clouds, 

So that abundance of waters will cover thee ? 

35 Canst thou send forth lightnings, so that they will go, 
And say to thee, " Here we are " ? 

36 Who hath put understanding in the reins, 
And given intelligence to the mind ? 

37 Who numbereth the clouds in wisdom ? 
And who poureth out the bottles of heaven, 

38 When the dust flows into a molten mass, 
And the clods cleave fast together ? 

39 Canst thou hunt prey for the lioness, 
Or satisfy the hunger of the young lions, 

40 When they couch in their dens, 
And lie in wait in the thicket ? 

41 Who provideth for the raven his food, 
When his young ones cry unto God, 
While they wander about without food ? 

l Knowest thou the time when the wild goats of the 
rock bring forth ? 
Or canst thou observe when the hinds are in labor ? 



106 JOB. [Ch. xxxix, 

2 Canst thou number the months they fulfil, 
And know the season when they bring forth ? 

3 They bow themselves ; they bring forth their young ; 
They cast forth their pains. 

4 Their young ones are strong; they grow up in the 

fields ; 
They go away, and return not to them. 

5 Who hath sent forth the wild ass free ? 
Who hath loosed the bands of the wild ass, 

6 To whom I have given the wilderness for his house, 
And the barren land for his dwelling-place ? 

7 He scorneth the tumult of the city, 

And heedeth not the shouting of the driver ; 

8 The range of the mountains is his pasture ; 
He seeketh after every green thing. 

9 Will the wild-ox consent to serve thee? 
Will he pass the night at thy crib ? 

10 Canst thou bind the wild-ox with the harness to the fur 
row? 

Or will he harrow the valleys after thee ? 
n Wilt thou rely upon him because his strength is great, 

And commit to him thy labor ? 

12 Wilt thou trust him to bring home thy grain, 
And gather in thy harvest ? 

13 The wing of the ostrich moveth joyfully ; 
But is it with loving pinion and feathers ? 

14 Nay, she layeth her eggs on the ground, 
She warmeth them in the dust, 

15 And forgetteth that the foot may crush them, 
And that the wild beast may break them, 

16 She is cruel to her young, as if they were not hers ; 
Her labqr is in vain, yet she feareth not; 



Ch. xxxix.] JOB. lU 

17 Because God hath denied her wisdom, 

And hath not given her understanding. 
is Yet when she lasheth herself up on high, 

She laugheth at the horse, and his rider. 

19 Hast thou given the horse strength ? 

Hast thou clothed his neck with his trembling mane ? 

20 Hast thou taught him to bound like the locust ? 
* How majestic his snorting ! how terrible ! 

21 He paweth in the valley ; he exulteth in his strength, 
And rusheth into the midst of arms. 

22 He laugheth at fear ; he trembleth not, 
And turneth not back from the sword. 

23 Against him rattleth the quiver, 
The flaming spear, and the lance. 

24 With rage and fury he devoureth the ground ; 
He will not believe that the trumpet soundeth. 

25 At every blast of the trumpet, he saith, Aha ! 
And snuffeth the battle afar off ; 

The thunder of the captains, and the war-shout. 

26 Is it by thy wisdom that the hawk flieth, 
And spreadeth his wings toward the south ? 

27 Doth the eagle soar at thy command, 
And build his nest on high ? 

28 He dwelleth and lodgeth upon the rock, 
Upon the peak of the rock, and the strong=hold. 

29 From thence he spieth out prey ; 
His eyes discern it from afar. 

30 His young ones suck up blood, 

And where the slain are, there is he. 



108 JOB. [Ch xj,. 

XXIII. 

Jehovah's question, and Job's reply. — Ch. xl. 1-5. 

1 Moreover Jehovah spake to Job, and said : 

2 Will the censurer of the Almighty contend with him ?" 
Will the reprover of God answer ? 

3 Then Job answered Jehovah, and said : 

4 Behold, I am vile ! what can I answer thee ? — 
I will lay my hand upon my mouth. 

5 Once have I spoken, but I will not speak again ; 
Yea, twice, but I will say no more. 



XXIV. 

Jehovah's continued reproof of Job. — Ch. xl. 6-xli. 

6 Then spake Jehovah to Job out of the whirlwind, 

and said : 

7 Gird up now thy loins like a man ! 

I will ask thee, and do thou instruct me ! 

8 Wilt thou even disannul my right ? 

Wilt thou condemn me, that thou mayst be righteous ? 

9 Hast thou an arm like God's ? 

Or canst thou thunder with thy voice like him? 



Ch. xl.] JOB. 109 

10 Deck thyself with grandeur and majesty, 
And array thyself m splendor and glory ! 

11 Send forth the fury of thy wrath ! 

Look upon every proud one, and abase him ! 

12 Look upon every proud one, and bring him low ; 
Yea, tread down the wicked in their place ! 

13 Hide them in the dust together ; 
Shut up their faces in darkness ! 

14 Then, indeed, will I give thee the praise, 
That thine own right hand can save thee. 

15 Behold the river-horse, which I have made, as well as 

thyself ; 
He feedeth on grass like the ox. 

16 Behold, what strength is in his loins ! 

And what force in the muscles of his belly ! 

17 He bendeth his tail, like the cedar, 

And the sinews of his thighs are twisted together. 

18 His bones are pipes of brass, 
And his limbs are bars of iron. 

19 He is chief among the works of God ; 
He that made him gave him his sword. 

20 For the mountains supply him with food, 
Where all the beasts of the field play. 

21 He lieth down under the lote-plants, 
In the covert of reeds, and in the fens. 

22 The lote-plants cover him with their shadow, 
And the willows of the brook compass him about. 

23 Lo ! the stream overfloweth, but he starteth not ; 

He is unmoved though Jordan rush forth even to his 
mouth. 

24 Can one take him before his eyes, 
Or pierce his nose with hooks ? 

10 



110 JOB. [Ch. xli. 

1 Canst thou draw forth the crocodile with a hook, 
Or press down his tongue with a cord ? 

2 Canst thou put a rope into his nose, 
Or pierce his cheek with a hook ? 

3 Will he make many entreaties to thee ? 
Will he speak soft words to thee ? 

4 Will he make a covenant with thee ? 
Canst thou take him for a servant forever ? 

5 Canst thou play with him, as with a bird ? 
Or canst thou bind him for thy maidens ? 

6 Do men in company lay snares for him ? 
Do they divide him among the merchants ? 

7 Canst thou fill his skin with barbed irons, 
Or his head with fish-spears ? 

8 Do but lay thy hand upon him, — 
Thou wilt no more think of battle ! 

9 Behold, his hope is vain ! 

Is he not cast down at the very sight of him ? 

10 None is so fierce that he dare stir him up ; 
Who then is he that can stand before me ? 

11 Who hath done me a favor, that I must repay him ? 
Whatever is under the whole heaven is mine. 

12 I will not be silent concerning his limbs, 
And his strength, and the beauty of his armor. 

13 Who can uncover the surface of his garment ? 
Who will approach his jaws ? 

14 Who will open the doors of his face ? 
The rows of his teeth are terrible ! 

15 His glory is his strong shields, 

United with each other, as with a close seal. 

16 They are joined one to another, 

So that no air can come between them. 



Cn. xll] JOB. Ill 

17 They cleave fast to each other, 

They hold together, and cannot be separated. 

18 His sneezing sendeth forth light, 

And his eyes are like the eyelashes of the morning. 

19 Out of his mouth go flames, 
And sparks of fire leap forth. 

20 From his nostrils issueth smoke, as from a heated pot, 

or caldron. 

21 His breath kindleth coals, 

And flames issue from his mouth. 

22 In his neck dwelleth Strength, 
And Terror danceth before him. 

23 The flakes of his flesh cleave fast together ; 
They are firm upon him, and cannot be moved. 

24 His heart is solid like a stone ; 
Yea, solid like the nether millstone. 

25 When he riseth up, the mighty are afraid ; 
Yea, they lose themselves for terror. 

26 The sword of him that assaileth him doth not stand, 
The spear, the dart, nor the habergeon. 

27 He regardeth iron as straw, 
And brass as rotten wood. 

28 The arrow cannot make him flee ; 
Sling-stones to him become stubble ; 

29 Clubs are accounted by him as straw ; 
He laugheth at the shaking of the spear. 

30 Under him are sharp potsherds ; 

He spreadeth out a thrashing-sledge upon the mire, 

31 He maketh the deep to boil like a caldron ; 
He maketh the sea like a pot of ointment. 

32 Behind him he leaveth a shining path ; 
One would think the deep to be hoary. 



112 JOB. [Ch. xur. 

33 Upon the earth there is not his master ; 
He is made without fear. 

34 He looketh down upon all that is high ; 
He is king over all the sons of pride, 



XXV. 

Job's entire submission to Jehovah. — Ch. xlii. 1-6. 

1 Then Job answered Jehovah, and said : 

2 I know that thou canst do every thing, 
And that no purpose of thine can be hindered. 

3 Who is he that darkeneth counsel by words without 

knowledge ? 
Thus have I uttered what I understood not ; 
Things too wonderful for me, which I knew not ; 

4 Hear thou, then, I beseech thee, and I will speak ! 
I will ask thee, and do thou instruct me ! 

5 I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear, 
But now hath mine eye seen thee ; 

6 Wherefore I abhor myself, 
And repent in dust and ashes. 



CH. XLH.J JOB. 113 



XXVI. 

Jehovah's vindication of Job, and the happy issue of his trials. — 
Ch. xlii. 7-17. 

7 And when Jehovah had spoken these words unto Job, 
he said to Eliphaz the Temanite : " My wrath is kin- 
dled against thee, and against thy two friends ; for ye 
have not spoken concerning me that which is right, as 

8 hath my servant Job. Take ye, therefore, seven bul- 
locks, and seven rams, and go to my servant Job, and 
offer for yourselves a burnt-offering, and my servant Job 
shall pray for you ; for to him alone will I have regard ; 
that I deal not with you according to your folly. 
For ye have not spoken concerning me that which is 
right, as hath my servant Job." 

9 So Eliphaz the Temanite, and Bildad the Shuhite, 
and Zophar the Naamathite went and did as Jehovah 
commanded them ; and Jehovah had regard to Job. 

10 And Jehovah turned the captivity of Job, when he 
prayed for his friends, and Jehovah gave him twice as 

11 much as he had before. Then came to him all his 
brethren, and all his sisters, and all his former acquain- 
tances, and ate bread with him in his house ; and con- 
doled with him, and comforted him over all the evil 
which Jehovah had brought upon him ; and every one 
gave him a kesita, and every one a ring of gold. 

12 Thus Jehovah blessed the latter end of Job more than 
the beginning ; for he had fourteen thousand sheep, six 
thousand camels, a thousand yoke of oxen, and a thou- 

13 sand she-asses. He had also seven sons, and three 

10* 



114 



JOB. 



[Ch xlii. 



14 daughters. And he called the name of the first Jemima, 
of the second Kezia, and of the third Kerenhappuch. 

15 And in all the land were no women found so fair as the 
daughters of Job ; and their father gave them an inher- 
it itance among their brethren. And Job lived after this 

a hundred and forty years, and saw his sons, and his 
17 sons' sons, even four generations. Then Job died, being 
old and satisfied with days. 






NOTES. 



In the first two chapters is contained a brief account of the excellent 
character and flourishing condition of Job; — of the afflictions decreed in 
heaven to be sent upon him, and the design of those afflictions, namely, to 
prove the disinterestedness and firmness of his integrity and piety ; — of 
the actual occurrence of these afflictions, and of Job's conduct under 
them ; — and of the visit of three of his friends to mourn with him and 
comfort him. 

The character of this introduction, so far as it relates to the upper 
world, is thus given by Scott : " This is not history, but a piece of allegori- 
cal scenery. The noble instruction which it veileth is, that God governs the 
world by the instrumentality of second causes, that the evils of human life 
are under his direction, and that the afflictions of good men are appointed 
by him for the illustration of their virtue, and for advancing, by that 
means, the honor of religion." The learned Mr. Poole also observes: 
" You must not think that these things were really done, . . . but 
it is only a parabolical representation of that great truth, that God, by his 
wise and holy providence, doth govern all the actions of men and devils to 
his own ends." Considered as a part of the whole work, the design of 
these chapters is, to suggest the subject of discussion, and, in part, to 
illustrate it ; and also to dispose the reader to a favorable opinion of Job. 
See introduction, p. 24. 

Ch. I. 1. — Job. The most probable meaning of the name is persecuted, 
harassed See Ges. ad verb. 

3. — three thousand camels. The Arabs used these animals in war, in 
their caravans, and for food. One of their ancient poets, whose hospitality 
grew into a proverb, is reported to have killed yearly, in a certain month, 
ten camels every day, for the entertainment of his friends. Scott, from 
Schultens and Pococke. We have here the description of the wealth of an 
Arab ruler, or chief, similar to those who at the present day are called 
Emirs, 

[115] ' 



116 NOTES. 

4. — each on his day : i e. on the day in which it fell to him in course 
to give a feast. 

5. — sanctify : by ablutions and other observances. See Exod. xix. 10, 
14; Josh. vii. 13. — renounced God in their hearts: i. e. been unmindful 
of him, dismissed him from their thoughts, or withheld the reverence and 
homage which are his due. It is hardly credible that Job suspected his 
children of cursing God. He was only apprehensive lest the gayety of a 
festival had made them forget God, and neglect his service and worship. 
The term 7p3 generally signifies to bless. It was the term of salutation 

between friends at meeting and parting. See Gen. xxviii. 3, xlvii. 10. In 
the latter use of it, it corresponded to the English phrase to bid farewell 
to, and like that, came to be used in a bad sense for to renounce, to aban- 
don, to dismiss from the mind, to disregard. It may imply disregard, 
neglect, renunciation, or abhorrence, according to the connection in which 
it is used. Xaigeiv in Greek, and valere in Latin, are used in the same way. 
Thus Eurip. Med. 1044.: Or! d,~ T " fyoyt* /aiqlio ^ovUv^iara. And Cicero, 
in a letter to Atticus (VIII. 8 .), in which he complains of the disgraceful 
flight of Pompey, applies to him a quotation from Aristophanes : nolla 
zaiQSLv ei/iayv rio xalfi* bidding farewell to honor, he fled to Brundusium. 
Another instance of this use of valere is in Ter. And. IV. 2. 14. : Valeant, 
qui inter nos dissidium volunt. Also in Cic. de Nat. Deor. 1. 44. near the 
end : Deinde si maxime talis est Deus, ut nulla gratia, nulla hominum 
caritate teneatur, valeat ! 

6. — sons of God : i. e. the angels. See ch. xxxviii. 7; Dan. iii. 25, 28. 

— Satan. There has been a question whether by the person denomi- 
nated Satan in this chapter is denoted the malignant spirit, the enemy of 
God and man, otherwise called the Devil; or one of the sons of God, a 
faithful, but too suspicious, servant of Jehovah. 

This latter opinion has been defended by some critics, because they 
could not easily account for the presence of the Devil in heaven amongst 
the angels of God, and for his free conversation with Jehovah; by others, 
because they regarded the belief in the Devil as having had no existence . 
amongst the Jews until their return from the Babylonish captivity, and, 
consequently, as inconsistent with their opinion of the high antiquity of 
the book. But the disposition ascribed to Satan in the narrative is not 
very consistent with this view. Nor is there any strong argument to show 
that a belief in evil spirits may not have arisen among the Jews at least a 
short time before the captivity, in consequence of their intercourse with 
foreigners. Satan appears, in this passage, in the office indicated by his 
name, that of the adversary, the accuser, the office uniformly ascribed to 
him by the later Jews. See Zech. iii. 1,2; Rev. xii. 10. See also Christian 
Examiner, for May, 1836, p. 236. Tt is observed by Rosenmiiller, that 
in the life of Zoroaster, (see Zen lavesta, by J. G. Kleukner, vol. iii. p. 11,) 



NOTES. 117 

the prince of the evil demons, the angel of death, called Engremeiiosh, is 
said to go about the earth for the purpose of opposing and injuring good 
men. 

11. — will he renounce thee. The phrase is stronger here than in verse 
5. It imports an utter and public renunciation of religion as a vain thing. 
Scott. 

15. — Sabeans : inhabitants of Sheba, a country of Arabia Felix, abound- 
ing in spices, gold, and precious stones. 1 Kings x. 1, &c. ; Is. lx. 6; Ps. 
lxxii. 10, 15. 

16. — fire of God : i. e. lightning ; which has a similar appellation in 
Eurip. Med. 144. : 

Al, (xv Stu uov xeipccAag </)Ao£ oiiQaria 
Balrj. 

Alas ! alas ! May the fire of heaven 
Strike through my head ! 

17. — Chaldeans : a fierce and warlike people, who originally inhabited 
the Carduchian mountains, north of Assyria, and the northern part of 
Mesopotamia, portions of whom settled in Babylonia and founded a mighty 
empire. They are described in Hab. i. 6-11. 

20. — rent his mantle, and shaved his head. The custom of rending the 
mantle, as an expression of grief, is said to prevail at the present clay in 
Persia, and, like that of shaving the head, to have been common amongst 
several nations of antiquity. Herodotus (II. 26.) remarks, that the latter 
was the practice of all nations except the Egyptians, in cases of mourning. 

21. — my mother 9 s womb : i. e. the womb of the earth, the universal 
mother ; for he speaks of returning thither. The same figure is found in 
several languages. See Cic. de Nat. Deor. II. 26. — blessed be the name, 
Sfc. Here the contrast is observable between the object of Satan, which 
was to induce Job to renounce God, and the issue of the temptation, in 
which Job blesses God. 

Ch. II. 4. Skin for Skin, #c. This is a proverbial expression, im- 
porting, as is generally supposed, that any man will give the skin or life 
of another, whether animal or man, to save his own. The observation of 
Satan will then imply that Job gave up all, without complaint, from the 
selfish fear of exposing his own life to danger. Others understand the 
term " skin " to denote " the life." The proverb will then be, " Life for 
life " ; i. e. Nothing is so precious as life. All other calamities are light, 
compared with those which threaten one's own life. Others, like for like, 
i. e. what a man holds as dear as his skin, i. e. his life, he will give for his 
life. 

7. It is generally supposed that Job was afflicted with that species of 
leprosy called elephantiasis, the elephant disease ; so called from its cov- 
ering the skin with dark scales, and swelling the mouth, legs, and feet to 



118 NOTES. 

an enormous size, although the body at the same time is emaciated. See 
Deut. xxviii. 35. The pain is said not to be very great, but there is a 
great debility of the system, and great uneasiness and grief. See Jahn's 
Archaeology, § 189. 

9. Renounce God, and die : i. e. since you must die. Since your 
exemplary piety has been of no use to you, give it up; renounce God; de- 
sist from your idle prayers and praises, and look to death as the only ter- 
mination of your miseries, the only fruit of your virtue which you will 
ever receive. Schultens. See i. 5, and the note. 

But, perhaps, the common meaning of the verb !p3, to bless, has some 

claim to consideration. According to this rendering, Job's wife ironically 
exhorts him to go on blessing God, since he received such precious returns 
for it. Bless God, and die : i. e. Bless God ever so much, thou wilt die 
after all. I am inclined to believe, however, that the term means here 
what it does in the nearly connected passages, ver. 5 and 11. 

10. In all this Job sinned not with his lips. The author repeats this 
circumstance a second time, in order to excite the attention of the reader 
to what follows, viz., the conduct of Job with respect to his reverence for 
the Deity, and the changes which accumulated misery might produce in 
his temper and behavior. Accordingly we find that another still more se- 
vere trial of his patience yet awaits him, and which, indeed, as the writer 
seems to intimate, he scarcely appears to have sustained with equal firm- 
ness; namely, the unjust suspicions, the bitter reproaches, and the violent 
altercations of his friends. Lowth. 

11. — Temanite. Teman was one of the principal cities of Edom, or 
Idumea, distinguished for its wise men. See Jer. xlix. 7; Obad. 8, 9. 
Amos. i. 12. — Shuhite. Shuah, a son of Abraham by Keturah, was 
sent by him into the East country. Gen. xxv. 2, 6. From him may have 
descended the Shuhites. Gesenius observes that the country of the 
Shuhites was not improbably the same with the ZattxaUt of Ptolemy, 5, 
15, eastward of Batanea. t — JVaamathite an inhabitant of Naamah, a 
place whose situation is unknown. It could not be the same which is men- 
tioned in Josh. xv. 41. 

12. 13. When they saw him, at the distance at which they could for- 
merly recognize him without difficulty, disease had so altered his appear- 
ance, that at first sight they knew him not. The expression of his grief 
resembles, in several circumstances, that of Achilles, when informed of the 
death of Patroclus. Iliad, xviii. 21 - 27. 

Seven days was the customary time of mourning among the Orientals. 
See Gen. 1. 10; 1 Sam. xxxi 13; and Ecclesiasticus, xxii. 13. " Seven days 
do men mourn for him that is dead." It is not meant that they remained 
in the same place and posture for the space of seven days, but that they 
mourned with him during that time, in the usual way. — and none spake 



NOTES. 119 

a word to him. Poole remarks that the meaning probably is, that no one 
spake a word to him about his afflictions, and the causes of them. But as 
this is not in the text, it seems more probable that the seven days 1 silence 
is only a poetical or oriental exaggeration, designed to express the pro- 
found amazement of the friends of Job, on account of the condition in 
which they found him. It may be compared with Ch. xlii. 12, 13, 14. 



ii 

At the end of the seven days of mourning, when no hopes of recovery 
from his afflicted condition were entertained by Job, and not a word of con- 
solation had been offered by his friends, he unburdens his heart in the 
strongest language of complaint, lamentation, and despair. He curses the 
day of his birth, and longs for death, as the only refuge from his miseries. 

The poet has secured the sympathy of the reader in favor of Job by the 
introductory chapters upon the cause of his afflictions, and by the declara- 
tion of Jehovah, that he was " an upright and good man; " so that in this 
place, and throughout the poem, we are more inclined to pity him for his 
afflictions than to censure him for his irreverent lauguage. 

Ch. III. 2. — spake. The verb HJJ/ 9 used of a person beginning to speak, 

T T 

appears, says Gesenius, to be peculiar to the later Hebrew. 

3. — the day, §c. The birth of a son was one of three great occasions 
of festivity among the Arabians. The other two were the birth of a foal 
of a valued race, and the rising up of a poetical genius in any of their 
tribes. When an Arabian gave his daughter in marriage to a person whom 
he approved, he used the benediction, " Facilis sit tibi partus, et masculos 
p'arias, non foeminas ! " Pococke. Spec Hist. Arab. pp. 160, 337. — And 
the night, #c. : i. e. which was privy to my conception ; a bold personifica- 
tion, as in verse 10, and xxx. 17. The Arabic poets delight to personify 
the day and the night in this way, as is shown f>y various quotations in 
Schultens ad loc. See also Burder's Oriental Customs, No. 490. 

4. — seek it. This is the primary meaning of the word #T!, and admits 

of a good explanation. The po^t seems to conceive of the day as sunk 
beneath the horizon, or in the deep waters by which he supposed the earth 
to be surrounded. He prays that God may not seek it, and bring it from 
its dark abode. The secondary meaning, regard, care for, though perfectly 
allowable, is less poetic. 

5. — shadow of death : i. e. thick darkness ; or, a black and dark shadow, 
like that of the dead. — redeem it : i. e. resume their dominion over it, 
excluding the light. Thus the common meaning of ^J ,i\cs highly 



120 NOTES. 

poetical sense to the line. — whatever darkens the day : lit. obscurations 
of the day. By obscurations of the day, I suppose lie understands eclipses, 
dreadful storms, &c. Less probably, deadly heats of the day : i. e. in- 
tolerable sultriness, which causes pestilence. Some writers suppose that 
there is a reference here to the poisonous wind Samum, or Samiel, which is 
feared in the hottest months of summer. But it appears from the testi- 
mony of modern travellers that the injurious effects of this wind have been 
very much exaggerated. See Robinson's Calmet, Art. Wind. Other- 
wise, the bitterness, or the misfortunes of the day ; 3 being considered only 
as the particle of emphasis, as it is often used. 

7. O let that night be unfruitful ! i. e. May there be no births in that 
night ! See Ch. xxx. 3, and the note. — no voice of joy : i. e. on account 
of the birth of a son. See note on verse 3. 

8. Who are skilful to stir up the leviathan ! In all other parts of the 
sacred writings, in which the word wh occurs, it denotes an animal. 

' t t; • 

Nearly all the ancient versions, and nearly all the modern critics, consider 
it as the name of an animal here. It seems to be a common name to denote 
monstrous animals of different kinds, as a huge serpent, the crocodile, &c. 
Here it may denote a monstrous serpent. In Ch. xli. 1, the crocodile. See 
Ges. ad verb. The verse probably refers to a class of persons who were 
supposed to have the power of making any day fortunate or unfortunate, 
to control future events, and even to call forth the most terrific monsters 
from impenetrable forests, or from the deep, for the gratification of their 
own malice, or that of others. Balaam, whom Balak sent for to curse 
Israel, affords evidence of the existence of a class of persons who were 
supposed to be capable of producting evil by their imprecations. See 
Numb. xxii. 10, 11. Job calls upon the most powerful of these sorcerers 
to assist him in cursing the day of his birth. 

9. JVeither let it see the eyelashes of tfie morning ! This is the literal 
version, and contains an image too beautiful to be thrown away. So Soph. 
Antig. 104. : 

£(pui-dtjg tto-T, cJ xQvolas 
uutoag fi?Jq)aoor 9 Jigxai- 
WV VTCBQ QtefrQVJT f.ioXuvoa. 

So in Milton's Lycidas : 

" ere the high lawns appeared 

Under the opening eyelids of the dawn, 
We drove afield," 

The sun, when above the horizon, is called by the poets the eye of day : 
hence his earliest beams, before he is risen, are the eyelids, or eyelashes, of 



NOTES. 1 21 

the morning. Schultens observes, that the Arabian poets compare the sun 
to an eye, and attribute eyelashss to it. See ad loc. 

12. Why did the knees receive me ? Why did the officious midwife 
receive me, and lay me upon her lap, and not suffer me to fall to the 
ground and perish ? Or it may refer to the father, as it was usual for him 
to take the child upon his knees as soon as it was born, and thus to 
declare that it was his own, and that he intended to bring it up. Gen. 1. 
23. See Jahn's Archaeol. § 161. 

14. Who built up for themselves — ruins! i. e. splendid palaces, or, 
perhaps, tombs, destined soon to fall into ruins. See Is. xliv. 26. In the 
form of expression, the line is similar to Hab. ii. 13 ; Jer. li. 58. 

That nations shall labor for fire, 

And kingdoms weary themselves for nought. 

i. e. for that which shall be burnt up, &c. Otherwise, The repairers of 
desolated places ; a circumstance mentioned to show their wealth, grandeur 
and glory. See Is. lviii. 12, lxi. 4 ; Ezek. xxxvi. 10. 

20. The name of the Supreme Being is often omitted in this book, and 
the pronoun made to supply its place. In such cases the pronoun is 
printed, in this version, * with a capital letter. This corresponds to the 
custom in Scotland, where they say, " May His will be done ! " " May 
His name be praised ! " without an antecedent to the pronoun. So in 
Scott's Black Dwarf, near the end of Chap. VII. : 

M 0, my child, before you run on danger let me hear you but say, ' His 
will be done ! ' " 

" Urge me not, mother — not now." He was rushing out, when, looking 
back, he observed his grandmother make a mute attitude of affliction. He 
returned hastily, threw himself into her arms, and said, " Yes, mother, I 
can say, ' His will be done ! ' since it will comfort you." 

" May He go forth — may He go forth with you, my dear bairn : and 5 
may He give you cause to say, on your return, < His name be praised ! 5 " 

23. — from whom the way is hid, fyc. : i. e, who knows not which way 
to turn himself ; who can see no way of escape from the miseries, which, 
in the latter clause of the verse, are represented as surrounding him, as 
with a high wall or hedge. 

24. — my sighing cometh before I eat : i. e. it cometh on when I begin to 
eat, and prevents my taking my necessary nourishment. So Juv. Sat. xiii, 
211. : 

Perpetua anxietas, nee mensse tempore cessat. 
25 for that which I dread, §c. I understand this as referring to con- 
tinual fears caused by the disease, which fears are said not to be greater 
then his actual miseries. See note on ii. 7, where uneasiness and grief are 
said to be caused by the disease. 
11 



122 



NOTES. 



Ill 



In the fourth and fifth chapters, Eliphaz, one of the three friends who had 
come to comfort Job, is represented as constrained by his intemperate 
language to exprese those sentiments, and vent those suspicions, which the 
view of his miserable condition had suggested, and which, from pity and 
delicacy, had been hitherto suppressed. The inhumanity of Eliphaz and 
the other friends of Job, which by many is thought unnatural, serves to 
introduce and help forward the discussion of the moral question which it 
was the main design of the poem to illustrate. 

He reproves Job's impatience, and exhorts him not to give way to grief 
and despondency, but to put in practice those lessons which he had so 
often recommended to others. He then advances the doctrine which he and 
his friends maintain throughout the poem, that misery implies guilt ; and 
insinuates that the wickedness of Job was the cause of his present afflic- 
tions. Ch. iv. 2-11. In support of his views he brings forward a 
revelation which he professes to have formerly received in a vision. This 
revelation asserts the exceeding imperfection of human virtue, the absolute 
rectitude of God, and the impiety of arraigning the justice of his moral 
government. The oracle itself is therefore excellent. It is the application 
of it in which Eliphaz is mistaken. He has erroneous notions of what the 
justice of God requires. He supposes that it implies that all suffering 
must be the punishment of sin ; and he seems to condemn Job not only 
for his actual complaints , but also for not regarding and acknowledging 
his afflictions to be the merited punishment of his transgressions. 12-21. 

In the fifth chapter he is more direct, as well as more severe, in his 
censures, and exhorts Job to humble himself before God, and repent of his 
sins. He assures him that, by such a course, he may regain his former 
prosperity. 

Ch. IV. 5. But now it, i. e. calamity, $c. 

6. Is not thy fear, SfC. These words may be understood as a friendly 
admonition to Job to recollect his religious principles, and to support him- 
self by the clearness, of his conscience. On the other hand, they may im- 
port that no good man would fall into despair under affliction, as he had 
done. There is an appearance of art in this ambiguity. Scott. 

As the substantive verb is understood, some critics prefer to render it 
thus : 

Was not thy fear of God thy hope ? 
And the uprightness of thy ways thine expectation ? 
i. e. Did not thy piety and integrity spring from the hope of reward, 
from a regard to thine own interest, rather than from the love of God ? 
So Mercier, and Castalio, whose version is, 



NOTES. 128 

Nimirum tanturn religionis, quantum expectationis ; 
Quantum spei, tan turn habebas integritatis morum. 

This corresponds with the question of Satan, " Is it for nought that Job 
feareth God?" 

7, 8. These expressions, also, may be understood as a consolatory argu- 
ment to confirm the hope which conscious integrity should inspire : " Good 
men are sometimes chastised severely for their crimes, but not destroyed; 
calamities which end in destruction are the portion of the wicked only." 
On the other hand, his meaning may be : " Calamities like yours being 
the lot of* wicked men only, some wickedness of yours must needs have 
brought these calamities upon you." Here, then, we have another in- 
stance of artful ambiguity. Scott. 

10. Unjust and rapacious men are in Scripture frequently called lions. 
See Ps. xxxiv. 10; lviii. 6. 

19. Who crumble to pieces, as if moth-eaten ! Lit. They crumble 
them to pieces, as the*moth a garment. So Ros., who remarks, after 
Schultens and Noldius, that the particle ^}sh often has the meaning, as, 

like* tanquam. Thus, 1 Sam. i. 16, " Regard not thy servant as a daugh- 
ter of Belial." The Sept. has it, aijrog tqotiov, and the old Vulg., tanquam 
tinea; the Vulg., sicut a tinea. Comp. ch. xiii. 28; Is. i. 9, li. 8. 

20. Between morning and evening, fyc. The meaning is, They live 
scarcely a single day. See Ex. xviii. 14; Isa. xxxviii. 12. It is not the 
frequent occurrence of death in the course of a day, but the shortness of 
man's life, that is meant to be expressed. So Pindar, Pyth. viii. 135. : 

'E/iatisQoi. Tt di ztg; ri d } ov rig; 

2xiag fivaQ ardQcmot . 

Beings of a day ! What is man ? What is he not ? 

He 's the dream of a shadow ! 

— and none regardeth it. The destruction of mankind by death is not re- 
garded, or minded, by the rest of the creation. This is only a rhetorical 
way of representing how insignificant a creature man is, compared with 
the higher orders of beings. 

Ch. V. 1. See if any one, Sf-c. i. e. will take thy part, and advocate 
thy cause. 

— to which of the holy ones wilt thou look ? i. e. whom amongst the 
heavenly ho$t wilt thou persuade to be thine advocate, or to take thy part, 
in a controversy with the Almighty ? The words call and answer are 
used in this judicial sense in ch. xiii. 22, xiv. 15, and in other places, 
Another less probable meaning is that of Grrotius and others, who suppose 
that Eliphaz, having triumphantly produced a divine revelation in support 
of his views respecting the conduct of Job, calls upon him to bring for- 



124 NOTES. 

ward something of the same kind in his defence, if he could, — to call and 
see if any of the heavenly spirits would answer him, and give a revelation 
in his favor. 

2. Verily grief destroyeth the fool. Grief and wrath hasten the destruc- 
tion of the foolish man, either by preying upon his spirits, or by drawing 
down upon him severe punishment from the Almighty. His sufferings are 
the fruit of his own criminal passions. The terms foolish and weak are 
often, in Scripture, applied to impious and wicked men. 

3. — I cursed his habitation. This may mean, I predicted his downfall. 
See Gerard's Inst., § 882. Or, I actually witnessed the sudden ruin of 
his fortunes, and pronounced his habitation accursed. 

4. — at the gate : i. e. in the courts of justice, which used to be held at 
the gates of cities. See Jahn's Archaeol., § 247. 

5. — the thorns : i. e. the hedge of thorns. 

6. For affliction cometh not, fyc. The meaning appears to be, The 
afflictions of life are not to be ascribed to chance,, or to merely natural 
causes, but to the will of Heaven. 

7. Behold, man is born to trouble : i.e. men are born under a law, or 
with a constitution, which subjects them to sorrow as soon as they be- 
come transgressors. Bishop Patrick's paraphrase is, " God hath made it 
as natural for man to suffer, (having offended him,) as it is for the sparks 
to fly upward." Wl *}% sons of flame, or of lightning, may denote 

sparks, or birds swift as lightning. As birds have not been mentioned, the 
former seems the closest rendering. 

15. — oppressed. This version is obtained by altering the points DT1D 

{from the sword) to DT1D, hophal participle from yr\> This amendment 

TTJIT -T 

of the text is adopted by Durell, Michaelis, Dathe, Doederlein, Eichhorn, 
and others. 

16. — iniquity stoppeth her mouth : i. e. unrighteous and insidious op- 
pressors are confounded and struck dumb, when they see their schemes 
frustrated, and find themselves entangled in the snares which they have 
laid for others. See Ps. cvii. 41, 42. 

23. For thou shalt be in league with the stones of the field: l. e. thou 
shalt be secure from injury from the stones in walking, journeying, &c. 
See Ps. xci. 11, 12. Dr. Shaw observes : "The custom, which still con- 
tinues, of walking either barefoot or with slippers, requires the ancient 
compliment of bringing water, upon the arrival of a stranger, to wash 
his feet." — " The feet, being thus unguarded, were every moment liable 
to be hurt and injured ; and from thence perhaps the danger, without the 
divine assistance, which ever protects us from the smallest misfortunes, 
of dashing them against a stone, Ps. xci. 12, which, perhaps may further 
illustrate that difficult text, Job v. 23, of being in league with the stones 



NOTES. 125 

of the field.' * Shaw's Travels, &o. Vol. 1. p. 428. Or, Thy field shall be 
free from stones, which would make it barren. 

24. — tent. There is some doubt whether ^riK should be rendered tent. 

according to its primary meaning, or house, habitation, its secondary 
meaning. For in ch. xxix. 7, and other passages, Job is represented as 
dwelling in a city. — and not be disappointed. Lit. miss ; used of slingers, 
Judg. xx. 16 : i. e. thou shalt find all thy household affairs in such a con- 
dition as meets thy best wishes and expectations, rpj here rendered thy 

dwelling, may denote thy fold or pasture. It occurs in the Scriptures in 
both senses. But as it is parallel with tent, and occurs in verse third of 
this chapter in the sense of habitation, I prefer the latter sense here. 



IV. 



In reply to the harsh censures and insinuations of Eliphaz, Job justifies 
the boldness of his complaints by the severity of the afflictions which ex= 
torted them from him. Ch. vi. 2 - 13. He complains of the unkindness 
of his friends in pronouncing him guilty because he was miserable, and in 
coming to him with reproaches instead of consolations. 14-23. He re= 
quests them to treat him with fairness; to examine his case, and not to 
condemn him on account of his miserable condition. 24 - 30. He pro= 
ceeds to speak of the miseries and of the shortness of human life, from 
which he passes to his own condition, and expostulates with the Deity 
upon the greatness of his afflictions, and their long continuance. Ch. vii. 

Ch. VI. 2. — my grief: i. e. my distress or my affliction. He wishes 
that his afflictions, together with the distress of mind caused by them, 
might be put into one scale, and weighed against the sand of the sea in 
the other. This is only a poetical way of saying that they were insup- 
portable. 

3. — rash. See G-es. Lexicon, upon njjS. 

T T 

4. For the arrows. His distress, arising from his other afflictions as 
well as his disease, is compared to that of a person shot with poisoned ar- 
rows. He exaggerates his distress by the circumstance that these arrows 
are hurled by the arm of the Almighty. 

5. Doth the wild ass bray, fyc. As the lower animals do not complain 
by braying and lowing, when they have plenty of food, so neither should I 
complain, were it not for the insupportable weight of my afflictions. 

11* 



126 NOTES. 

6. Can that which is unsavory, fyc. Men usually complain of their 
food, when it is unsavory; but how much greater reason have I to corn- 
plain, when I am obliged to bear those afflictions at the very thought of 
which I used to shudder ! Some critics, however, suppose that he here 
lashes Eliphaz for his harangue on the blessings of patience, and charac= 
terizes his discourse as insipid, impertinent, and disgusting. — white of an 
egg. It may be that the term H-lD^n, which occurs not elsewhere in the 

Scriptures, rather denotes pur slain, an herb which was proverbial for its 
insipidity among the Arabs, Greeks, and Romans. The literal meaning 
will then be, Is there any taste in purslain saliva ? a contemptuous 
expression for purslain broth. But as the comparison is more expressive 
to the English reader according to the common version, and has the 
support of the Rabbins and Targums, I retain it. 

7. What my soul, fyc. In order to justify this rendering, which in 
sense is that of the Common Version, it is not necessary to decide whether 
there is an ellipsis of the relative T#N or not ; or whether such an ellip- 
sis is an allowable idiom of Hebrew Grammar, or not. It is certainly most 
probable that n^H refers to the calamities or sufferings, expressed in 

verses 2-4. My version sufficiently expresses this reference without ad- 
ding anything which is not implied in the connection. 

9. — let loose his hand. Lit. loosen his hand, which, when inactive, is 
figuratively regarded as bound, and when exerted, as set free. — make 
an end of me ! a metaphor, which seems to be borrowed from the practice 
of a weaver, who cuts off the web, when it is finished, from the thrum, 
by which it was fastened to the beam. 

10. — I would exult : lit. leap. ^70 occurs only once in the Scriptures, 

- T 

except as a proper name. I now prefer the rendering exult, as better 
supported by tradition, and rather better suited to the parallelism and the 
connection, than the former rendering, be consumed, lit. burn. The Sept. 
has it }jX?.6ur]v ; the old Latin, saliebam ; the Chald. exultarem. It is 
also supported by a similar word in the Arabic. See Ges. Lex. in verb. 

11. — And what mine end, that I should be patient? i. e. How distant 
mine end ? How long have I to live ? Or, since my end, threatened by my 
disease, is so near, why should I not prefer to die at once, and invoke 
destruction, rather than bear continued calamities with patience. Am I 
not so much exhausted, and brought so near my end, as to have reason to 
be impatient ? 

13. DXH is used as an adverb of exclamation in this and other passages. 

See Ges. In the Vulg. ecce ! For the rendering deliverance, see Ges. 
So the Sept., poi]d*iu dl an luov ansanv. Arab, solus. 

14. Else : The particle ) is so rendered in the common version, in 



NOTES. 127 

Ps. li. 16 : Thou desirest not sacrifice, else would I give it. — he: i. e. 
the friend who does not show kindness to the afflicted. 

15-20. But my brethren, fyc. This simile is exquisitely beautiful, 
considered as a description of a scene of nature in the deserts of Arabia. 
But its principal beauty lies in the exact correspondence of all its parts to 
the thing it is intended to represent. The fulness, strength, and noise of 
these temporary streams in winter answer to the large professions made to 
Job in his prosperity by his friends. The drying up of the waters, at the 
approach of summer, resembles the failure of their friendship in his 
affliction. And the confusion of the thirsty caravans, on finding the 
streams vanished, strongly illustrates his feelings, disappointed as he was 
of the relief he expected in these men's friendly counsels. Scott. 
Schultens observes that the xirabs compare a treacherous friend to one 
of these torrents, and hence say, " I put no trust in the flowing of thy 
torrent ; " and, " torrent, thy flowing subsides." — thai pass away ; 
Com. xi. 16. 

16. — the ice : i. e. which melts on the hills and flows into them. 
— hides itself in them : i. e. melts and flows into them. Scott observes that 
these streams are first formed by the autumnal rains. The warmth and 
rains of the spring, melting the ice and snow on the mountains, increase 
them. They then rush down into the valleys, in a large body of turbid 
water, and assume the appearance of deep rivers. The beds of these 
winter rivers are also called torrents. Bishop Pococke saw several of them 
perfectly dry, in his journey to Mount Sinai in the month of April. See 
Pococke's Description of the East, Vol. I. pp. 139 - 141. 

17. — flow forth: i. e. as soon as the snowwater is exhausted, the 
streams disappear. The contrast is between streams from natural peren- 
nial fountains, and those which proceed from torrents of melted snow and 
ice. 

18. The caravans, fyc. : i. e. The caravans turn aside to them with the 
expectation of finding a supply of water, but are disappointed, and obliged 
to pursue their journey without a supply in the desert, where they perish 
with thirst. Thus it agrees, in its general meaning, with the following 
verses. — go up into the desert : which, like the sea, seems to rise to him 
that beholds it. 

20. — their place : i. e. the place or channel of the streams, where they 
flowed before they were dried up. 

21. — terror ; i. e. my terrible sufferings. 

22. — a present : i. e. to the judge, to secure his good-will by a bribe. 

25. — what do your reproaches prove ? i. e. what guilt do they convict 
me of ? 

26. Do ye mean to censure words ? i. e. Do ye think it reasonable to 
carp at mere words, exported from me by extreme misery ? You ought to 



128 NOTES. 

consider that a man in the extremity of misery utters many inconsiderate 
expressions, which ought not to be severely censured, but rather laid to 
the account of human infirmity, and regarded as idle wind. 

27. Truly ye spread, fyc. The expressions in this verse are proverbial, 
and refer to the cruelty of his friends in bringing unfounded charges 
against his moral character. 

28. Look now upon me, I pray you. He may be understood literally, 
as requesting them to look in his face, and see if he betrayed any signs of 
falsehood or guilt ; or figuratively, as requesting them to be more favora- 
ble to him, and to give him a hearing ; to judge from his appearance 
whether he was false or guilty. 

29. Return, $c. : i. e. to the discussion. 

30. Is there iniquity, fyc. : i. e. Is there any falsehood or wickedness in 
what I have said, or am about to say ? Have not I the capacity of dis- 
tinguishing right from wrong, and truth from falsehood, as well as your- 
selves ; and if I had said or done anything wrong, should I not be 
conscious of it ? 

Ch. VII. 1. Is there not a war-service. The word &C¥ is rendered 

warfaie, in Is. xl. 2, in the common version. The Vulg., Syr., and Arab, 
render it so in this verse. But the expression has particular reference to 
the hard and wearisome service which the military life required, and to 
the longing of the soldier to see the end of it. 

5. My flesh, fyc. Maundrell, describing ten lepers whom he saw in 
Palestine, says : " The whole distemper, indeed, as it there appeared, was 
so noisome, that it might well pass for the utmost corruption of the human 
body on this side the grave." MaundrelPs Journey, p. 252, &c. Amer. 
edit. 

7. O remember, §c. He here turns to the Deity, and pleads the short- 
ness of life as a reason why he should be relieved from his sufferings. In 
ver. 9, 10, he urges, for the same reason, the certainty that he should not 
return to life. 

8. Thine eyes shall look for me. See note on ver. 22. 

9. — the grave. Lit. to sheol, the underworld. 

12. Am la sea, fyc. He complains that God treated him as though he 
were some furious tyrant, whom only the most severe inflictions could 
restrain from exceeding the bounds of justice, and spreading destruction 
among mankind. " Am I as fierce and dangerous as the raging sea, or as 
some strong and ungovernable sea-monster, both of which must be re- 
strained by great exertions, and watched with unceasing vigilance, lest 
they should spread destruction and death?" Michaelis thinks that by 
the sea Job meant the Nile, which, when it rises beyond a certain heiglu, 



NOTES. 129 

becomes an inundation, and causes immense damage. Schultens quotes 
Arabsjah, an Arabic poet, who calls Tamerlane " a vast sea, swallowing up 
everything. " Burder observes : " Crocodiles are very terrible to the in- 
habitants of Egypt ; when, therefore, they appear, they watch them with 
great attention, and take proper precautions to secure them, so that they 
may not be able to avoid the deadly weapons afterwards used to kill them. 
To these watchings and those deadly after-assaults I apprehend Job 
refers." 

15. — rather than these my bones. Lit. rather than my bones : i. e. 
than the wretched skeleton, which is nearly all that is left of me. 

16. I am wasting away. The Hebrew word, thus rendered, is transla- 
ted melt away, in the common version, in Ps. lviii. 7. The x\rab., accord- 
ing to Walton, is, Jam viribus defectus sum. 

17. 18. Job suggests that it was beneath the character of the infinite 
God to bestow so much time and attention, and such vigilant inspection, 
upon so insignificant a being as man ; and this for no other purpose than to 
mark and punish all his defects and failures. 

19. — look away from me : i. e. turn away thine angry countenance 
from me, or cease to afflict me. So xiv. 6. " This is a metaphor drawn 
from combatants, who never take their eyes off from their antagonists." 
Schultens. — till I have time to breathe. I have substituted this for the 
proverb, which is literally rendered in the common version, and which has 
been retained in Arabia to the present day, by which they understand, 
" Give me leave to rest after my fatigue." There' are two instances 
(quoted by Schult. in loc.) in Hariri's JYarratives, entitled the 
Assembly. One is of a person who, when eagerly pressed to give an ac- 
count of his travels, answered with impatience, " Let me swallow down 
my spittle, for my journey hath fatigued me." The other instance is of a 
quick return made to one who used that proverb ; ' ' Suffer me," said the 
person importuned, " to swallow down my spittle ; " to which his friend 
replied, " You may, if you please, swallow down even the Tigris and 
Euphrates ; " that is, You may take what time you please. Burder. 

20. If I have sinned, fyc. : i. e. " Suppose, for a moment, that I have 
sinned, yet as I can have done thee no injury, as my sins cannot have 
affected thy safety or happiness, I see not why I should be treated with 
such severity, and even set up for a mark at which thou mayst shoot thine 
arrows." The particle DK, if, is often understood. The Sept. has supplied 

it here : et lyco ruaorov. So the Arab, and Syr. See Ges. Gram. § 152. 4. — 
what have I done to thee ? i. e. what injury have I done to thee ? The verb 
ntyjJ signifies to do an injury, in Exod. xiv. 11; Gen. xix. 8, xx ii. 12. This 

sentiment agrees better with the context, and is also found in ch. xxxv. 6. — O 
thou w richer of men ! i. e. thou that watchest men strictly, and markest 



130 NOTES. 

all their sins. The word is undoubtedly used in an invidious sense, and 
not merely to express the general truth that God takes notice of human ac- 
tions, See ver. 12, and xiv. 16. Dr. Kennicott renders it, O thou spy 
upon men! The word i^i, inspector, is rendered watchman, in 2 Kings 

xvii. 9, in the common version; and in ch. xxvii. 18, of this poem, it de- 
notes the watchman of a vineyard. The Sept. has it, 6 tnciarauevog rbv vovv 
nov av&Qcon.wr. The same sentiment is expressed in ch. x. 6, xiii. 27, and 
elsewhere. The word might be rendered preserver, in another connection, 
since a person sometimes watches a thing for its preservation; but not 
properly here, where the Deity is represented as the avenger of sin. — So 
that I have become a burden to myself? The Sept. renders the two last 
lines, 

Why hast thou set me up for thy mark, 
And why have I become a burden to thee ? 

The Hebrew copy, from which they translated, had ?yhy instead of <fyy. 

The Masorites also place this amongst the eighteen passages which they 
say were altered by transcribers. In this case the reading preserved by 
the Sept. may have been altered by some transcriber who supposed the 
sentiment which it conveyed to be irreverent to the Deity. But, as the re- 
ceived text is supported by all the versions except the Sept., and by all the 
Hebrew manuscripts hitherto examined, it may be retained, notwithstand- 
ing the intrinsic probability that the Sept. has preserved the true reading. 
22. Soon shall I sleep in the dust. He urges the shortness of the term 
of life which yet remained to him, as a reason why he should be relieved 
from his afflictions ; and he intimates, in the latter clause of the verse, 
that death would, as it were, put it out of the power of the Deity to favor 
him, should he relent and be inclined to mercy, since he should be no 
longer in existence. So Castalio explains it : " Nisi mihi in hac vita bene= 
facias et condones, non erit post mortem locus.'* So Poole : (i When thou 
shalt diligently seek for me, that thou mayst show favor to me, thou wilt 
find that I am dead and gone, and so wilt lose thy opportunity. Help, 
therefore, speedily." 



V. 

In chapter eighth, Bildad, another of Job's professed friends, comes for- 
ward as a disputant, interrupting him in his discourse, and reproving 
him with severity for the boldness of his language in regard to his afflic- 
tions, and for his firm protestations of his innocence, as if he had thereby 
called in question the justice of the Deity. He holds the opinion that, un- 
der the government of a being infinitely wise and good, afflictions cannot 
take place, unless for the purposes of vindictive justice. Hence he asserts 



NOTES. 131 

that the children of Job had perished on account of their wickedness ; 
although he had no grounds for the assertion, but that of their ruin. He 
tells Job that if he were in reality the devout and upright man he pro- 
fessed to be, he would again be restored to prosperity. He quotes a pas- 
sage from an ancient poem, representing by striking images the miserable 
condition of the wicked, and holds out to Job the hope of the renewed 
favor of God, as the reward of repentance. 

These exhortations to repentance, addressed, as they were, to one whom 
Jehovah had pronounced an upright and good man, are to be regarded as 
an indirect mode of charging him with perverseness and guilt. Thus it 
appears that Bildad agrees with Eliphaz in the opinion that misery is a de- 
cisive proof of wickedness. 

Ch. VIII. 2. — like a strong wind ? The same figure is found in 
Aristoph. Ran. 872. : TvywqyaQ ixpaivuv TiaQaoxsvattTac A tempest of 
words is preparing to burst forth. So in Sil. Italicus, XI. 581. : 

— qui tanta superbo 
Facta sonas ore, et spumanti turbine perflas 
Ignorantum aures. 

6. — thy righteous habitation : i. e. the abode where thou shalt dwell , a 
righteous man. Bildad insinuates, says Schultens, that the dwelling of 
Job had hitherto been the abode of wickedness. 

7. So that thy beginning shall be small : i. e. thy former prosperity 
shall appear small, compared with that which thou shalt hereafter enjoy, 
if thou art pure and righteous. So the Sept., ""Eorai ra uev notora nov 
bliya. So Castalio, Adeo ut fuerit tua prior conditio tenuis, pr<E ut 
posterior ampliflcabitur. Thus the poet puts into the mouth of Bildad a 
reference, undesigned on his part, to what is afterwards recorded to have 
taken place in the fortunes of Job : " Jehovah blessed the latter end of 
Job more than the beginning." xlii. 12. Bildad had no prophetic an- 
ticipation of thiSj but merely utters a general promise, naturally suggested 
by the subject; while the writer intended that it should refer to the subse- 
quent history of Job. The skill of the poet is manifested in this way in 
several passages, and reminds one of the admirable use made of this ex- 
pedient to give interest and pathos to their compositions by the most cele- 
brated Greek dramatists, as by Sophocles, for instance, in his (Edipus 
Tyrannus. 

11. — paper-reed : nurrvoog, Sept. See Ges. We are entertained here, 
says Mr. Scott, with a specimen of the manner of conveying moral instruc- 
tions, in the oldest times of the world. They couched their observations in 
pithy sentences, or wrapped them in concise similitudes ; and cast them 
into metre to fix them in the memory. Bp. Lowth mentions the words of 
Lamech to his two wives, (Gen. iv. 23, 24,) as the oldest example of this 
kind on record. 



132 NOTES. 

17. — heap. I now prefer this rendering, as favored by the parallelism, 
and by its connection with the verb entwined. — And he seeth the place of 
stones : i. e. taketh deep root in the earth. Thus the verse denotes the 
nourishing, and apparently durable, condition of the wicked man. So 
Mercier, Doed., Ges. See Ps. i. 3, xxxvii. 35; Jer. xvii. 8. 

18. The particle DK> translated if in the common version, is often 

used for emphasis, or asseveration, and, according to the connection, may 
be rendered, truly, indeed, yea, yet, behold! lo ! &c, or occasionally 
omitted. See Noldius in verb. 

19. — from his place. Lit. from the earth or soil from which the tree 
was removed. Thus others shall fill the place and enjoy the wealth of the 
wicked man who is taken away. See xxvii. 16, 17, and Eccles. ii. 18. So 
Merc, Eos. But Dathe and Eichhorn, and another shall spring up in 
his place ! i. e. other wicked men, not deterred by his dreadful fate, shall 
take his place, and follow his example. 

21. Instead of 1J7, it is better to alter the point, and read y^. So 

Houb., Michaelis, De Wette. 



VI. 

In reply to Bildad, who had charged him with virtually denying the jus- 
tice of God, Job remarks that he knows full well the greatness and holi- 
ness of God, and the weakness and sinfulness of man; intimating that he 
does not pretend to be free from the infirmities and sins which are common 
to the human race. But these, in his view, are incident to the best of 
men, so that no one can answer to one charge of a thousand in a contro- 
versy with God. Admitting this, however, it by no means follows that 
one whom God pleases to afflict is a wicked man ; or, that he is a great sin- 
ner who suffers great affliction. Ch. ix. 1-3. He maintains that in the 
distribution of happiness and misery God is an absolute sovereign, innu= 
enced by no consideration but that of his own inscrutable and irresistible 
will; that his afflictions, therefore, ought not to be attributed to the jus- 
tice of God, but rather to be ranked with those acts of Providence which 
confound all our reasonings. 4 - 14. He says, that though he is conscious 
of no guilt which should draw down upon him the afflictions which he suf- 
fered, yet he will not attempt to defend himself before the majesty of God; 
that he is weak; that the contest is unequal; that, were his cause ever so 
just, he could not hope to prevail ; that, though he is conscious of inno- 
cence, he would not enter into a controversy with God in order to save his 
life. 15-21. (It may be observed here, that, when Job asserts his inno- 
cence, he does not lay claim to entire freedom from fault. He means only 



NOTES. 183 

that he is innocent of the charges of secret crimes brought against him by 
his friends; that he is free from uncommon guilt, which his friends held 
to be the cause of his great misery; that he is, in line, a sincere, upright 
man.) He affirms that misery, far from being a proof of uncommon guilt, 
is equally the portion of the righteous and of the wicked. 22 - 24. Passing 
to the contemplation of his own misery, he asserts that his righteousness 
avails him nothing ; that his cause cannot be brought to a fair trial ; and 
that the majesty and power of God reduce him to silence. 25 - 35. Then 
with great earnestness and pathos he expostulates with the Deity on ac- 
count of his severity to the work of his own hands, continues to assert his 
innocence, and urges the shortness of the term of life which yet remained 
to him, as a reason why he should be relieved from his miseries. Ch. x. 

In regard to apparent inconsistencies in the language of Job, it may be 
observed here that he is represented as agitated by various contending emo- 
tions. Fear and hope, despair and confidence, the spirit of submission and 
of bold complaint, by turns have possession of his mind : and, as either 
predominates, it gives, of course, a character to his language. Truth in 
the exhibition of opposite feelings and passions requires some inconsistency 
in language and sentiment. Disregard of this obvious truth led Dr. Kenni- 
cott to propose some alterations of the text, which, if adopted, would great- 
ly injure the poem. 

Ch. IX. 3. If he choose : i. e. If God choose to mark strictly the sins of 
which all men are guilty, and accuse them of these sins; or, if man 
choose to enter into controversy with God. 

5. He removeth the mountains, and they know it not This is a Heb. 
idiom, meaning, He removeth them suddenly or unexpectedly ; as it were, 
before they, i. e. the mountains, are aware of it. So in Ps. xxxv. 8, where, 
in the Hebrew, the expression " at unawares" is "let him not know." 
Schultens remarks that the same idiom occurs frequently in the Koran. 

6. — the pillars thereof. The earth is represented as an edifice, sup- 
ported by pillars, resting on foundations, having a corner-stone, &c. See 
ch. xxxviii. 4-6. Earthquakes seem to make these pillars tremble. Ac- 
cording to the same mode of conception respecting the earth, it is repre- 
sented as standing forever, Ecc. i. 4, and as reeling like a drunkard, and 
moving like a hammock, in Is. xxiv. 20. 

7. He commandeth, §c. Some suppose the allusion is to the effects of 
an eclipse ; others, to those of a continued storm, as in Acts xxvii. 20; 
and others, that he asserts that light and darkness depend upon God; that, 
if he forbid, the sun and the stars cease to shine. To seal up, or to shut 
up as with a seal, I suppose to be a figurative expression, denoting great 
or total obscuration. The expression to seal up is used with great latitude 
of signification. See ch. xxxiii. 16, xxxvii. 7. 



134 NOTES. 

8. — spreadeth out, §c. Comp. Is. xl. 22. Otherwise, boweth down the 
heavens. See Ps. xviii. 9-15. This latter version would denote the 
descent of black, heavy clouds, in a great storm. — walketh upon the 
high ivaves. The Egyptian hieroglyphic for what was not possible to be 
done was a man walking on the water. Burder. 

9. — the Bear, Orion, and the Pleiads. The Hebrew names are Ash, 
Chesil, and Chimah. See note upon ch. xxxviii. 31, 82. — secret chambers 
of the South : i. e. the remotest regions of the South, the constellations of 
which are invisible to the inhabitants of the northern hemisphere. 

12. seizeth : as a lion his prey. 

13. God will not turn away his anger : i. e. on account of any opposi- 
tion which may be made to it. Dei irrevocabilis ira est. Castalio. 

15. — I could not answer him. The word is used in a judicial sense, 
and means, I would not undertake to make my defence. 

16. Should I call, and he make answer to me. The words &OD and rsty 

are supposed by Schultens, and by most critics since his time, to be used 
in a judicial sense. Si in jus vocarem, ut actor, et responderet mihi com- 
pellatus, seque sisteret. If, as plaintiff, I should summon him to trial, 
and he should make answer, and consent to stand as defendant, I could 
scarcely believe it; for although I am conscious of uprightness, yet, from 
the severe afflictions under which I suffer, I have reason to conclude that 
he will act no other part towards me than that of an absolute sovereign 
who will give no account of his doings. 

19. If I look to strength. Lit. If to, or concerning, the strength of 
the mighty : i. e. if it be a question of strength, &c. See Jer. xlix. 19,1. 
44. If we adopt the various reading, found in the Sept. and Syr , ) instead 
of % we may translate, 

If I look to strength, lo, he is strong ! 

If to justice, who shall summon him to trial ? 

Thus Dathe and Eichhorn render the verse. 

20, 21. Though I were upright, §c. The meaning probably is, Though 
I am conscious of no guilt, and though my cause is just, yet were I as 
pure as an angel, I should not be able to sustain myself, and make good 
my defence before the brightness of the divine majesty; notwithstanding 
the testimony of my conscience, I would give up all care for myself, every 
effort to preserve my life, rather than enter into a vain controversy with a 
Being infinitely above me, so superior in strength. 

22. It is all one. The meaning may be either, All things are now 
alike to me; I am indifferent as to what may happen to me; or, It is all 
one whether a person be righteous or wicked, so far as his fortune is con- 
cerned. Some suppose, however, that jrrrnnN should be rendered, He is 



NOTES. 135 

the one; unicus est: i. e. He is unlike all others; he stands alone; he ia 
bound by no rules, and gives no account of his matters. Comp. ver. 32. 

24. — covereth the face of the judges. Either, God treats them as con- 
demned malefactors, overwhelming them with calamities, disgrace, and 
ruin, Job himself being one example of this melancholy truth. Scott. 
See 2 Sam. xv. 30; Esth. vii. 8; Jer. xiv. 3. Is. xxii. 17; Mark xiv. 65. 
Thus the meaning of the verse will be, God commonly advances wicked 
men to honor and power, and casts down men of true worth and virtue 
from their seats. Or. to cover the face of the judges may have the same 
meaning as the phrase, to blind their eyes, so that they are partial, un- 
just, and oppressive. — If it be not he, who is it ? So the Sept., et <?« ul 
aihog ion , rig ianr ; If it be not God who doeth the strange things which 
I have mentioned, who is it that doeth them ? 

25. My days have been swifter than a courier, SfC. Time and enjoy- 
ment, that are succeeded by great misery, appear # as an instant that is 
past. The depth of his present affliction makes him forget his former 
prosperity, and to say that he had seen no good during his life. The 
common pace of travelling in the East is very slow. Camels go little more 
than two miles an hour. Those who carried messages in haste moved very 
differently. Dromedaries, a sort of camel which is exceedingly swift, are 
used for this purpose; and Lady M. W. Montague asserts that they far 
outrun the swiftest horses. Lett. II. 65. There are also messengers who 
run on foot, and who sometimes go an hundred and fifty miles in less than 
twenty-four hours; with what energy then might Job say, ' My days are 
swifter than a courier ! ' Instead of passing away with a slowness of mo- 
tion like that of a caravan, my days of prosperity have disappeared with a 
swiftness like that of a messenger carrying dispatches." Harmer. 

26. — reed-skiffs : i. e. " boats or skiffs made of the papyrus of the Nile, 
in common use among the Egyptians and Ethiopians, and famous for their 
lightness and swiftness. Thus Pliny, xiii. 11, Ex ipso quidem papyro 
navigia texunt ; vi. 56, Etiam nunc [naves] in Britannico oceano vitiles 
corio circumsutsB sunt ; in Nilo ex papyro, et scirpo , et arundine. And 
Lucan. Pharsal. iv. 136, Conseritur bibula Memphitis cymba papyro. 
Heliodorus, iEthiop. x. 460, speaks of such boats, noodusloic tx xotiuutav 
7ts. r iot) l iitvotg, as having been very swift, o^vdooiKoraia. They maybe 
compared in this respect to Indian canoes." 

27. 28. If I say, fyc. : i. e. If I resolve within myself that I will cease 
complaining, and endeavor to be more cheerful, I find all such endeavors 
vain ; for if my griefs be suspended for a short time, yet my fe~ars con- 
tinue, for thou, God, wilt not clear my innocence, by removing those 
afflictions which make them judge me guilty of some great crime. Poole. 

29. I shall be found guilty, §c. : i. e. Whether I be holy or wicked, if 
I dispute with thee, I shall be found guilty. Why then should I trouble 



13l! NOTES. 

myself with clearing mine innocency ? Poole. Or, I must pass for a 
wicked person ; I am treated as such by God, and condemned by man. 
All my labor, therefore, to clear myself will be to no purpose. 

30. If I wash, §c. By washing himself ', §c, and cleansing his hands, 
#c, he asserts the purity of his heart, and innocence of his life. Thus 
Zophar understood him : " Thou say est, s My speech is pure ; I am clean, 
in thine eyes.'' " The Psalmist also declares his own integrity in terms 
somewhat similar : "I have cleansed my heart in vain, and washed my 
hands in innocency. ' ' Ps. lxxiii. 13. 

31. Still wilt thou plunge me, fyc. The meaning is, that his calamities 
would cause him to be looked upon by all his intimate friends as an 
abominable wretch, smitten of God, and accursed. No protestations of in- 
nocence, no appeals, no defence whatever, could overcome that prejudice 
against him. — my own clothes. This circumstance is added, 1 imagine, 
as a heightening of the, image of impurity ; to represent more strongly the 
infamy with which his character was blackened by his overthrow. Scott. 

32. For He is not, $c. : i. e. He is infinitely superior to me in majesty 
and power, so that I cannot venture to contend with him : i. e. to debate 
my cause with him, or to answer his allegations against me ; neither can 
we go together into judgment : i. e. meet each other face to face, and plead 
upon equal terms before a superior and indifferent judge. 

33. Who may lay his hand upon us both : i. e. who may have authority 
and power to control either of us who shall exceed the limits of propriety 
in the controversy, and also to oblige us to stand to his decision. 

34. — his rod : i, e. my present afflictions. — his terrors: i. e. the 
terror of his majesty and power. 

35. — and not be afraid of him : i. e. as an opponent in a judicial con- 
troversy. I should not fear but that I should be able to make good my 
cause, and prove my innocence. — For I am not so at heart : i. e. as to 
have any reason to fear the result of debating my cause with him upon 
equal terms. So Schult., Le Clerc, Ros. Ov yaq awsjiiarauaL ipavru 
adixov Sept. : I am not conscious to myself of unrighteousness. But 
this is paraphrastic. 

Ch. X. 1. — give myself up, §c. : lit. let loose complaint upon myself. 

2. — Do not condemn me : i. e. Do not pronounce me guilty and punish 
me with such severity, without showing me wherein I have offended, and 
what I have done to deserve my sufferings. 

4-7. Hast thou eyes, fyc. : i. e. Seest thou as imperfectly as man? or does 
thy life pass away as swiftly as that of man ? One might suspect this from 
thy searching after sins in me so thoroughly and so suddenly ; i. e. from 
thy inflicting upon me such heavy blows and in such quick succession, to 
bring me to a confession of sin. Umbreit. 



NOTES. 137 

8. Have thy hands compltUly fashioned, fyc. His argument now is, 
that it looks like caprice to bestow great skill and labor on a work, and 
then on a sudden, and without just cause, dash it in pieces. This is what 
he meant also in verse 3, " Is it a pleasure to thee . . . to despise the 
work of thy hands ? " Scott. 

9. O remember, 4*c. Here he pleads the common mortality. He must 
soon die, as all other men ; what occasion then for so much torture to dis- 
patch him ? Scott. 

10 - 12. The argument in these verses is taken from God's creating and 
providential goodness towards him, as not being consistent with his present 
treatment of him. Scott. 

13. Yet these things thou didst lay up in thy heart. By these things he 
means his calamities ; and insinuates that God had given him being with 
a secret purpose to make him miserable ; and had advanced him so high 
in order to render his fall the more terrible. Scott. — in thy mind: lit. 
with thee ; a phrase repeatedly used in this book, and in other parts of 
Scripture, to denote what was in the mind of God, i. e. what was his in- 
tention, or purpose. See ch. xiv. 5, xxiii. 14 ; Ps. 1. 11 ; John xvii. 5. 

15. If I am wicked, as my friends suppose me, then am I indeed un- 
done ! yet though I am righteous, I derive no benefit from it. It is all 
one, whether I am good or bad. 

16. — like a lion thou huntest me. The allusion, in this and the follow- 
ing verse, is to that maimer of hunting the lion, wherein the hunters, 
armed with spears and javelins, formed themselves in a ring about the 
beast, and threw their weapons at him one after another. By this image 
Job represents, in lively colors, the violent and rapid succession of his 
calamities. Scott. Another explanation, and perhaps the best, is, Thou 
huntest me, as a furious lion pursues his prey ; but, whereas the lion 
tears his prey speedily, and so ends its torments, thou renewest my calam- 
ities again and again. 

17. Thou renewest thy ivitnesses : i. e. thy judgments — my afflictions, 
which my friends regard as an evidence of wickedness. — JYew hosts : lit. 
changes and a host, by the figure hendiadys, for hosts constantly recruited. 
Or, changes may mean afflictions ; and the sense may be, a host of afflic- 
tions. According to the former rendering, new hosts figuratively denote 
miseries constantly succeeding each other. Exercitus immutas contra 
me. Arab, and Syr. 

18. 19. Why then, fyc. But for thine agency I should have perished, 
unseen and unknown, and have avoided my present misery and disgrace. 
So in Euripides, Troad. 637, Andromache utters similar sentiments. 

20. Are not my days few 1 §c. : i. e. My life is short, and hastens 
apaoe to an end. Do not then continue my afflictions to the last moment 
12* 



138 NOTES. 

of my existence. Let the very short term of life, which remains to me, be 
a season of rest and enjoyment. 

21, 22. Before I go — whence I shall not return, — fyc. These verses 
contain a description of sheol, or hades, the under- world, the place of all 
the dead. So Sen. Here. Furens, 861. : 

Stat chaos densum, tenebraeque turpes, 
Et color noctis malus, ac silentis 
Otium mundi, vacuseque nubes. 
Sera nos illo referat senectus ! 
Nemo ad id sero venit, unde nunquam, 
Cum semel venit, potuit reverti. 



VII. 



In the eleventh chapter, Zophar the Naamathite, the third of Job's 
friends, corner forward in reply to him. He censures him with severity, as 
guilty of using vain, arrogant, and irreverent language in his bold pro- 
testations of his innocence, and in his loud complaints of unkind treatment 
from the Almighty. 1-4. He speaks of the unfathomable counsels and 
infinite knowledge of the Deity, and, like his predecessors in the contro- 
versy, intimates plainly that the sufferings of Job were the punishment of 
wickedness which the Deity had seen in him, and of which he might easily 
convict him. 5-12. He assures him that, if he would put away his 
wickedness, he might hope to regain his former prosperity ; at the same 
time threatening him with severe judgments if he should continue in his 
sins. 13 - 20. 

Ch. XI. 3. Shall thy lies : i. e. thy false assertions respecting thine 
innocence, and concerning the ways of Providence. 

4. Thou say est, My speech, or discourse, is pure : For thou pretendest 
not to have offended in word or deed, and that God himself can find no 
reason to condemn thee. Patrick. See ch. x. 7. 

6. His wisdom, which is unsearchable ! This rendering expresses the 
sense, whether we regard D'SdD as signifying corny Heated, intricate, or 

double, i. e. manifold. See Ges. in verb. — God forgiveth thee many of 
thine iniquities. With Ros. and Ges., I take XW 2 in the sense to forget. 

God causeth thee to for get of thine iniquities, i. e. forgiveth a part of them. 

7. — the deep things of God ? See "ipn in Ges. Secretum Dei, Arab. 

Inquisitionem Dei, Syr. 



JSOTES. 139 

8c Deeper than hell : i. e. than sheol or hades, the place of the dead 
without distinction of character. See note upon ch. xxvi. 6. 

10. If he apprehend, and bring to trial. The judgments of God upon 
the wicked are here represented by figurative language drawn from the 
arrest, imprisonment, and trial of a criminal. The word STtp^, rendered 

and briny to trial, means, literally, and gather together, as in the common 
version ; it refers to the ancient custom of gathering an assembly of the 
people for the trial of a criminal. See Prov. v. 14 ; Ezek. xvi. 39, 40, 
xxiii. 46. — Who shall oppose him? i. e. Who shall, by entering into an 
argument with the All-wise, defend the criminal with any prospect of 
delivering him ? or , Who shall by force deliver a criminal from his hands ? 

11. He seeth iniquity, when they do not observe it. The words p J3JV vh) 

have been explained in a great variety of ways. I suppose the verb 
to refer, by an enallage of number, to the unrighteous, in the preceding 
line, or to man understood ; and that the meaning is, that God sees in- 
iquities of which the thoughtless and wicked persom who commits them 
has no knowledge. In this, as in the next verse, I suppose Zophar to make 
general remarks with particular reference to the case of Job, who had so 
boldly asserted his innocence. Another mode of understanding the line, 
which has perhaps equal claims with that which I have adopted, is that of 
Cocceius : He seeth iniquity, though he attend not to it : i. e, without an 
effort of attention ; without looking carefully for it. 

12. But vain man is without understanding , fyc. 2il'> seems to be 

used in a privative sense, as the word is used in Piel in Cant. iv. 9. : 
" Thou hast deprived me of my heart ;" as it were Thou hast hearted 
me. It has been said that there is no instance in which the privative 
signification of Piel is transferred to Niphal. But, in the last edi- 
tion of his lexicon, Gesenius observes that in Arabic there are instances in 
which other forms of the verb are used in the same way. It is therefore 
probable that a similar usage prevailed in the Hebrew, although from 
the paucity of its remains no other instance occurs. Schultens and Dathe 
render s • 

Let then vain man be wise, 

And the wild ass's colt become a man. 

According to this version, the wild ass's colt is used figuratively for a 
perverse and obstinate man. 

15. Then shall thou lift up thy face without spot. He describes the 
happy change of his condition by its effects in his countenance ; contrast- 
ing his present dejected face, sullied and disfigured by terror, grief, and 
tears, with the look he shall then assume, erect, firm, and clear as the 



140 NOTES. 

polished mirror. He may refer to the words of Job, x. 15, " I dare not 
lift up my head." Scott. 

17. JVbw thou art in darkness. So Merc, Schult., Ges. Ch. x. 22 ; 
Amos iv. 13. The Chald. has it, Obscuritas tenebrarum quasi lux matu- 
tina erit. The Syr., Et caligo sicut aurora erit. 

18. Thou shalt be secure, fyc. : i. e. Thou shalt feel secure that thy 
prosperity will be permanent, on account of the bright hopes which present 
themselves. — JYbiv thou art disappointed, SfC. The Sept. has it, ix d* 
^BQiurijg y.at (pQorj't(hg avaipavtiTui ttQijvy. 

19. Thou shalt lie down, §c. A metaphor borrowed from flocks lying 
down in the pastures. As in Ps. xxiii. 2, "He maketh me to lie down in 
green pastures." 

20. But the eyes of the wicked shall be wearied out : i. e. by anxiously 
looking for relief from their miseries. — Their hope is — the breathing 
forth of life : i. e. They expect no deliverance from their miseries, but in 
death. Or, Death shall be the issue of their hopes. 



VIII. 

Job begins his reply to Zophar, and his other friends, with a severe 
sarcasm upon the airs of superiority which they had assumed ; and com- 
plains that he had become the object of their contempt, for no other reason 
than his miserable condition. Ch. xii. 1-5. He reasserts his opinion re- 
specting the point in dispute, maintaining that the worst of men, far from 
receiving the punishment which they deserve, often live in the enjoyment 
of ease and prosperity. 6. They had spoken to him of the wisdom and 
power of God, as if he were entirely ignorant on the subject. Hence he is 
led to say that what they had advanced on this topic is trite and obvious ; 
and to discourse upon the power and providence of God, in a style of 
eloquence well suited to make them ashamed of their pretensions to supe- 
rior intelligence. This discourse may be designed to illustrate # generally 
the power and wisdom of God, as contrasted with the weakness of man ; and 
also to show that, in the distribution of good and evil, God acts from his 
sovereign will and pleasure alone, and not, as the opponents of Job contended 
from a regard to the merit or demerit of men ; that he treats the righteous 
and the wicked alike ; and consequently, that nothing which he or thoy 
might advance on the subject of the wisdom and power of God could prove 
him guilty, or that his misery was the punishment of his sins. 7 - xiii. 2. 
He longs to transfer his cause from partial and misjudging man to the 
omniscient and righteous Judge, confident that, if lie could have an oppor- 
tunity of pleading his cause before him, he should not fail to vindicate his 






NOTES. 141 

innocence. 3. He accuses hi3 friends of partiality and injustice ; of 
taking part against him from selfish motives and a slavish fear of God's 
power, rather than from honest conviction and a disinterested regard to God's 
honor. 4-11. With the most earnest protestations of innocence, the most 
fervent appeals to the Deity in regard to the justice of his cause, and the 
most pathetic description of his sufferings, he closes ch. xiii. He then 
proceeds to give an affecting view of the miseries of human life, especialty 
insisting upon the shortness of it, as a reason why man should be exempted 
from constant and extraordinary sufferings, xiv. 1-6. He complains 
that man's condition is worse than that of the vegetable creation ; since 
the plants, when the hand of death has apparently been upon them, come 
forth again with renovated beauty ; but that to pass from a life of wretch- 
edness to the never-ending sleep of death is a condition too hard to be 
borne. He intimates that, if he had the hope of a second life, he might 
be encouraged to bear with patience his heavy load of afflictions, in the 
hope that, at some future time, a favorable change in his condition might 
take place. But not entertaining this hope, he implores the Deity to grant 
him a trial, so that his true character may appear before he dies ; and 
earnestly expostulates with the Deity on account of his dealings towards 
him. 7-22. 

This chapter, as well as many passages scattered through the poem, 
renders it highly probable, either that Job had no belief in the resurrec- 
tion of the dead, or in a future state of existence equally desirable with the 
present life ; or that the author of the poem excluded from it all regard to 
a future state, as inconsistent" with its general plan and design. It con- 
tains several assertions of man's ceasing to exist, so far as real desirable 
life is concerned. It is true, that, if we make some allowance for the lan- 
guage of strong emotion in which he expresses himself, we may suppose 
that he had some vague notions of the existence of the disembodied spirit, 
in a half-conscious, inactive state, in the interior of the earth, such, for 
instance, as prevailed among the ancient Greeks, but more gloomy and less 
definite ; an existence wholly undesirable, and offering no equivalent for 
the loss of present enjoyments and of the present life. See ch. x. 21, 22, 
and the note. It is almost impossible for the human soul to conceive that 
its consciousness will be wholly lost. See note on xiv. 22. The separate 
existence of the soul seems also to be implied in the distinction which is 
made between sheol and the grave ; the former being represented as a vast 
subterraneous cavern, where all the spirits of the dead dwell together. 
The belief in some sort of existence of the soul after death seems also to be 
implied in the credit which the ancient Hebrews gave to the art of 
necromancy, See 1 Sam. xxviii. 3-10. But the language of this chap- 
ter appears to be wholly inconsistent with the supposition that Job had any 
expectation of a desirable existence after death. It was reserved for the 



142 NOTES. 

Prince of life, the author and finisher of our faith, to bring the glad 
tidings of great joy to the aching hearts of men — to bring life and im- 
mortality to light. % 

Some critics have endeavored to lessen the force of Job's express denials 
of a future life, in this chapter, by the remark that he only meant that he 
could not hope to live again in the present world ; but that he might still 
have believed that he should exist hereafter in a better world. I admit 
that a second life in this world was what he intended to deny ; but I 
think it was because he was sceptical in regard to a happy state of existence 
after death. Heaven he evidently regards as the abode of Jehovah and 
his angels alone ; and hades, or the under-world, as a place of gloom and 
horror. If, as he asserts, the hope of living again in this world would 
have afforded him consolation and comfort under his afflictions, then surely 
the hope of a happier state of being than the present life might have 
afforded him still greater comfort and consolation. How can it possibly be 
accounted for that he should sink into despair, because he could not hope 
to enjoy the doubtful good of living again in this world of sin and misery, 
whilst at the same time he believed in the existence of a world of happi- 
ness and purity, to which the righteous were to be admitted ? See note 
upon ch. xix. 25. In ch. x. 21 , 22 , we have a description of the place 
where Job expected to be after death. 

Ch. XII. 2. — the whole people ? i. e. ye have engrossed all the wisdom 
in the world, and all others are mere brutes or fools ! 

4. 1, who call upon God, that he would answer me 1 i. e. I, who am 
so conscious of my uprightness, that I am not afraid to appeal to God, and 
to desire that my cause may be brought to trial, and that the Deity would 
bring his charges against me, and show me the reasons of my afflictions ; 
the words call and answer, or at least the latter, being used in a judicial 
sense, as in ix. 16, xiii. 22, xxiii. 5, xxxi. 35. Castalio and Dathe, how- 
ever, give the same translation as the preceding, but understand the words 
in their common acceptation, which is less suited to the connexion. 

6. Who carry their God in their hand : i. e. Who trust to their strength 
and their weapons, and have no regard to the Supreme Being. See Hab. 
i. 11, and note. 

7-9. These verses are probably to be regarded as a continuation of 
verse 3 ; the intermediate verses being parenthetical. In reference to the 
discourse of Zophar, who had spoken, with considerable parade, of the 
wisdom of God, and had affected to consider Job as ignorant of it, or as 
having called it in question, he remarks that what Zophar wished to teach 
him was so obvious that it might be learned from the lower animals. They 
made it evident, by their properties, actions, and modes of life, that God 
created the world by his wisdom, and that he governed it with absolute 



NOTES. 143 

dominion ; so that it was not necessary to ascend to heaven, or to go down 
to the under-world, to obtain such knowledge. See xi. 7-9. Others suppose 
the meaning to be, that, in the distribution of happiness and misery, God 
is so far from having a regard to moral distinctions, that even of the 
lower animals the mischievous and rapacious fare well, while the useful 
and gentle meet with harsh treatment from man, or are the prey of the 
rapacious of their own kind. 

9. • — among all these : i. e. these irrational creatures, which are repre- 
sented in the preceding verses as teaching, declaring, fyc 9 and in this verse 
in the way of poetical exaggeration, as knowing the wisdom and power of 
the Deity, which they so plainly declare. It is said that " with the Hin- 
doos, he who refuses instruction, and will not be convinced, is told to ask 
the cattle." Or, in reference to the second exposition of verses 7-9, these 
things may refer to such things as are referred to in ver. 6. See Is. xxii, 
11. Otherwise — hath made these things : i. e. the heaven and earth and 
all things therein, to which Job may be supposed to have directed the at- 
tention of his hearers by the motions of his hands, or of his eyes. So 
Schult. and Cocc. Thus Job declares that the wisdom of God is so plain, 
that all nature, as it were, feels and acknowledges it ; but he means to 
deny that this has anything to do with the question of his guilt or in- 
nocence. 

11, 12. Doth not the ear, §c. : i. e. As the palate distinguishes the 
sweet from the bitter, so the ear, or rather the mind by the ear, discerns 
truth and falsehood in discourse ; and wisdom is the attribute of age and 
experience. The connection and application of these proverbial maxims are 
by no means so clear as their general meaning. It is probable that he 
means by them to censure his friends for not hearing and weighing his 
observations with more attention, candor, and impartiality., instead of 
despising and rejecting them at once. 

14. Lo ! he pulleth down, fyc. None can repair what He tears down, 
whether houses, castles, or cities. — He bindeth, fyc : i.e. None can 
extricate the man whom he casts into difficulties and straits. Patrick. 
Seech, xxxvi. 8. 

15. Lo ! he withholdeth the waters : whether from the clouds or springs. 
— and they are dried up. The waters may be said, in a popular sense, to 
be dried up, when they cease to exist in their fountains, and when the 
heavens seem to be changed into brass, and the earth into iron, according 
to the expression in Deut. xxviii. 23. — He sendeth them forth. This 
clause describes an inundation, such as might happen, in Job's country, 
from the torrents caused by too great an abundance of rain. Scott. 

16. The deceived and the deceiver. A proverbial expression, says 
Gesenius, denoting every description of men. — are his: i. e. all alike 
depend upon him for their powers ; the subtle and the weak are alike sub- 
ject to his control, and subservient to the purposes of his providence. 



144 NOTES. 

17. He leadeth counsellors away captive. Statesmen, who promised 
themselves success and victory, as the result of their plans, he disappoints 
and leads into captivity ; and judges he deprives of their peculiar attribute, 
reason or discernment. Or, judges may denote rulers, whom he infatuates, 
and leads to the adoption of measures which end in their own ruin. 

18. He dissolveth, fyc. : i. e. He dethroneth kings, and leadeth them, 
bound in chains, into servitude. So Mer., Schult, Ges. But Dathe 
renders the verse, 

He looseth the gridle of kings, 

And he encircleth their loins with a belt : 

i. e. He takes away their authority, and he invests them with it. But 
usage does not favor this explanation, as Ros. observes. See Gen. xlii. 
24 ; Judg. xv. 13 ; Ps. cxlix. 8. 

19. And overthroweth the mighty : i. e. the mighty men of war, in battle. 
. 20. He sealeth up the lips : lit. He taketh away the lips. — the trusty : 
i. e. persons of tried wisdom and long experience, to whom the people are 
wont to repair for advice. 

21. And looseth the girdle of the mighty. As the Orientals wore long and 
flowing robes, they were unfit for fighting, or for any kind of active service 
until they had girded up their loins. Hence to loose the girdle of a per- 
son is to take away his strength, or power of resisting an enemy. Schul- 
tens and others suppose the girdle to be a badge of office, and that to loose 
it means to deprive those who wore it of their dignity and honors. 

22. He revealeth deep things out of darkness. Some understand this as 
a general remark, setting forth the infinite knowledge and power of God, 
who can bring to light the most secret things ; as in Matt. x. 26. So 
Merc. Others suppose particular secrets are referred to, such as plots, 
conspiracies, or the deep-laid plans of princes. Others, the hidden designs 
of God himself, which in course of time are brought to light. 

24, 25. He taketh away, fyc. Divine infatuation of the governing 
powers is here described in forcible language and striking resemblances. 
Tn their confusion, mistakes, perplexity, and distress, they resemble 
persons who have lost themselves in the Arabian solitudes, without a path, 
without a waymark, without a light to guide them ; and their irresolution 
and unstable counsels are like the reeling motions of a drunken man. 
Scott. 

Ch. Xni. 4. — forgers of lies : i. e. in maintaining that great aflaic- 
tions are peculiar to the wicked ; and that I am guilty because I am 
miserable. 



NOTES, 145 

8. Will ye be partial to his person ? i. e. Will ye utter falsehoods from 
partiality to him ? The phrase to receive or accept persons was probably 
borrowed from the practice of corrupt rulers or judges, who received or 
admitted to their presence those who came with gifts, and favored their 
cause. 

9. Will it be well for you, if he search you thoroughly ? i. e. If he 
search you thoroughly, will he not find that your condemnation of me has 
sprung not so much from honest conviction, as from the selfish desire of 
winning his favor ? 

11. Doth not his majesty make you afraid ? i. e. Is it not a slavish 
fear of what God can do to you that induces you to condemn me without 
proof ? 

14. Why do I take my flesh in my teeth. HD -1 ?^. To take the flesh in 

the teeth," and " to put the life in the hand," evidently mean " to risk 
the life," as what is carried in the teeth or the hand is liable to be 
dropped. See 1 Sam. xxviii. 21 ; Ps. cxix. 109. The meaning is, Why 
do I risk my life by asserting my integrity before God, unless because I 
am fully conscious of it. 

15. — I have no hope! This is the literal rendering of the received 
text. The common version adopts the various reading ft, in him, instead 
of that of the text $h, not. I prefer the latter, as the more difficult 
reading, and yet quite as well suited to the context, and to the general 
plan of the book. 

16. This also shall be my deliverance. An opportunity of appearing 
before God, and pleading my cause, will lead to my deliverance, i. e. to 
my vindication from the charges of wickedness and guilt which have been 
brought against me. — For no unrighteous man will come before him : 
i. e. For I shall not go before him an unrighteous man. Others suppose the 
meaning to be, My readiness to appear before God, and to plead my cause 
before him, ought to be considered a proof of my innocence ; for no un- 
righteous man would dare to do it. 

18. — that I am innocent : i. e. that my cause is just ; or, that I am in- 
nocent of the charge of gross wickedness, which is alleged against me as 
the cause of my calamities. 

19. — contend with me: i. e. maintain the cause successfully against 
me. 

22. Then call upon me, fyc. These expressions import that he aimed to 
dispute his cause, not merely before God as a judge, but with God as a 
party. Scott. 

26 For thou writest : A judicial term, referring to the custom of writing 
the sentence of a person condemned, i. e. decreeing his punishment. See 
Ps. cxlix. 9 ; Jer. xxii. 30 ; John xix. 22. So the Greeks used the ex- 
13 



146 NOTES. 

pression yQcapso&at diy,)jv ; and amongst the Arabs a writing is a term 
commonly used for a judicial sente tic e. 

27. Thou watchest all my paths : i. e. all the paths by which I might 
escape. The allusion is to a prisoner who is not only fettered, or in the 
stocks, but closely watched by sentinels. — Thou hemmest in the soles of 
my feet : i. e. by a trench, beyond which thou wilt not suffer me to pass ; 
i. e. thou hast stopped my way. See xix. 8; Lam. in. 8, 9. 

28. And I : lit. And he. Upon this change of persons in the Hebrew, 
see Ges. Heb. Gram. § 217. ; Storr's Observ. § 23. The Greek idiom, by 
which rude ovSqi is used for iuol, has some resemblance to it. 

Ch. XIV. 1. — born of woman : This is said in conformity with the 
Oriental sentiments in regard to the inferiority of the female sex, in 
ancient and modern times. See ch. xv. 14, xxv. 4. 

3. And dost thou fix thine eyes upon such an one ? This expression 
denotes, in Zech. xii. 4, to look angrily at another. Scott. It refers here 
probably, to vigilant inspection for the sake of discovering faults. — And 
dost thou bring me into judgment with thee ? i. e. Dost thou treat me as a 
criminal, and decree against me severe punishments ? 

4. Who caii produce a clean thing from an unclean ? He now pleads 
for lenity on account of the natural weakness of man's moral powers- 
Who can expect so frail and weak a being as man to be without faults ? 
Who can expect frail man to be as pure as an angel ? Vitiis sine nemo 
nascitur. 

6. That he may enjoy, as a hireling, his day ! i. e. That he may enjoy 
his term of life, at least to that degree in which the hireling enjoys his 
term of service. The Sept. favors this mode of translating the verse : 
3 jinooia ait* avrov, iva ^ov/aoij, y.ai evdox/jCrj avrov rov fiior, ajontQ 6 
ujo&MTog. Otherwise, Until he shall, as a hireling, have completed his day. 
To complete or accomplish, is a less common meaning of H2H, but not 

without support. See Lev. xxvi. 34, 41, 43 ; 2 Chron. xxxvi. 21 ; Is. xl. 
2. Others render, Until, as a hireling, he shall rejoice in his day : i. e. 
the day of his death. Let him be exempt from afflictions during the com- 
mon short term of human life, until, weary and worn with service, he 
shall rejoice in the day of his death, as a hireling rejoices in the day of his 
release from service. 

7- 12. Compare the well known passage of Moschus. Epitaph. Bion. 105. 

The meanest herb we trample in the field, 
Or in the garden nurture, when its leaf, 
At Winter's touch, is blasted, and its place 
Forgotten, soon its vernal buds renews, 



NOTES. 147 

And, from short slumber, wakes to life again, 
Man wakes no more i — man, valiant, glorious, wise, 
"When death once chills him, sinks in sleep profound, 
A long, unconscious, never-ending sleep. Gisborne. 
See also in Dr. Beattie's Hermit : 

5 T is night, and the landscape is lovely no more ; 
I mourn, but, ye woodlands, I mourn not for you ; 
For morn is approaching, your charms to restore, 
Perfumed with fresh fragrance, and glittering with dew. 
Nor yet for the ravage of winter I mourn ; 
Kind nature the embryo blossom will save ; 
But when shall spring visit the mouldering urn ? 
when shall it dawn on the night of the grave ? 

10. — and he is gone ! t^SlTI. This word means to be. so entirely pros- 

TVlV- 

trated, overthrown, or weakened, as not to be able to recover. Man, when 
dead, has no strength or vital principle remaining in him, by which he can, 
like a tree that is felled, return to life. A more literal rendering, such as 
pass away, waste away, is by English usage, synonymous with death ; 
Gesenius renders it, dahin ist, it is all over with him. 

12. Till the heavens be no more: i. e. Never. For things unchange- 
able and eternal are in Scripture compared in duration to the heavens. See 
Ps, Ixxii. 5, 17, lxxxix. 29, 86, 37, cxlviii. 6 ; Jer. xxxi. 35, 36. Dr. 
Good supposes that the phrase refers to a definite period, that of the gene- 
ral resurrection. But this supposition is inconsistent with Scripture usage, 
and with the context, and is not countenanced by the most respectable of 
those critics who suppose the general resurrection to be referred to in ch. 
xix. 25, 

18, O that thou wouldst hide me in the. under-world! i. e. in sheol or 
hades, Schultens takes great pains to show that Job, by this expression, 
does not wish for death, but only to be shut up alive in hades. But if we 
understand him to wish for a temporary death, the connection of this verse 
with the 14th will be closer. Under the influence of passionate emotion 
he expresses the thought, that, if he ,were by death removed out of the 
sight of the Deity for a time, his wrath might subside, like man's resent 
ment, which time and the absence of the object of it weaken or extinguish 

14. If a man die, can he live again ? Here he checks his wish for 
death by a question which is equivalent to a negation. A man once dead 
cannot live again. Else, or if it were so, I might have strength and 
patience to endure all my present afflictions, until my change should come, 
i. e. until I should be relieved from my hard service by new recruits, or 
from my wearisome station by a fresh guard ; L e e until a favorable 



148 NOTES. 

change in my condition should take place. Or, war-service may relate to 
his wished-for residence in the lower world, ver. 13, and his change to his 
restoration to the upper world, when his character should be vindi= 
cated, and his happiness restored. The poet probably means here to make 
another allusion to the actual history of Job in the close of the poem. 

15. Call upon me, and Iivill answer thee ! So Le Clerc, Schultens, Ros., 
De Wette. Unable to bear the thought of going out of the world under such 
a load of infamy, and having no hope of coming back into it again to clear 
his innocence, he earnestly begs of God to relent towards his creature, and 
to bring him to immediate trial. The terms call and answer ought surely 
to be taken in the same judicial sense as in ch. ix. 16, xiii. 22, xxxi. 14 ; 
the former denoting the action of bringing the complaint ; the latter, the 
part of the defendant in replying to it. Scott. 

16, 17. As a contrast to the regard which he pleaded for in the foregoing 
verse, and as a reason for his urging an immediate trial, he here sets forth 
the severity with which God treats him now. 

16. — thou number est my steps : i. e. thou makest strict inquiry into my 
actions, that thou mayst find out all my errors, and punish them. 
— Thou watchest over my sins : i.e. Thou watchest for my hal tings or 
miscarriages, as if thou wert glad of an occasion to punish me. Poole. 

17. My transgression is sealed up in a bag: i. e. as writings, money, 
or other choice things, that they may be safely kept, and brought forth 
upon occasion, and that not one of them may be forgotten or lost. See 
Hos. xiii. 12. " The money, that is collected together in the treasuries of 
eastern princes, is told up in certain equal sums, put into bags, and 
sealed/' Char din. — thou addest unto my iniquity. Either, thou 
addest one sin to another, the sins of my youth to those of my riper age, so 
as to swell the number laid up against me, and thus to increase my pun- 
ishment ; or, thou makest my iniquity greater than it* is. Gesenius 
renders it, perhaps correctly, (see in the Hebrew, xiii. 4 ; Ps. cxix. 69,) 
thou inventest (falsehood) unto mine iniquity : i. e. thou chargest me with 
iniquity falsely. The rendering which I have adopted may be considered 
as a milder way of expressing the same idea. It is that of the old Geneva 
version, i. e. the English version made in the time of queen Elizabeth ; 
which, in several passages of this poem, is more correct than the common 
version. The Chald. has it, accumulas super iniquitates meas. 

19. So thou dpstroyest the hope of man : i. e. the hope of living again 
after death. 

22. But his flesh shall have pain, S^c. By a bold, but not unnatural 
personification, the dead man in his grave is represented as conscious of 
his own miserable condition, and of that alone. He knows not of the 
miseries of his living relatives, but his body consumed by worms feels its 
own pain, and the soul in the underworld mourns its own sad condition. 



NOTES. 1 .49 



IX, 



Eliphaz begins his reply to Job with bitter sarcasms and reproaches. 
He censures particularly the assertions of Job respecting the indiscrimi- 
nate distribution of happiness and misery, as tending to undermine 
religion, and to encourage men in the neglect of prayer He says that the 
assertion of such opinions is sufficient evidence of his guilt. Ch. xv. 1 - G. 
He then lashes him severely for pretending to understand the ways of God 
better than those who were his elders ; and for his passionate complaints 
concerning God's dealings toward him. He repeats, for his admonition, 
the substance of the oracle which he had brought forward in his former 
discourse. 7 - 16. He proceeds to give, as a quotation from an ancient 
poem, a highly wrought description of the misery which in various ways 
pursues the wicked man. The drift of the whole is to vindicate Providence 
to condemn Job as an object of divine wrath on account of his wickedness, 
and to terrify him, if possible, into a confession of his guilt. 17-35. 

Ch. XV. 4. And discouragest prayer before him. Literally, lessenest 
prayer. The meaning is, that Job, by maintaining that God treated the 
righteous and the wicked alike, sapped the very foundations of religion ; 
since, in that case, the wicked would have nothing to fear, and the righte- 
ous nothing to expect from him. 

5. Though thou choosest the tongue of the crafty. He gives this invidi- 
ous turn to Job's protestations of innocence, prayers, and appeals to God ; 
which he represents as an artful address to the passions of his hearers, in 
order to blind their judgment, and deceive them into a favorable opinion 
of his piety. 

7. Art thou the first man, fyc. : i. e. Hast thou lived ever since the 
creation of the world, and treasured up the experience of all ages in thy 
own breast, that thou speakest so arrogantly, and with such contempt of 
other men ? Poole. 

8. Hast thou listened in the council of God : i. e. in such a council as 
is described in the first and second chapters of this poem, where the 
angels are represented as assembled around Jehovah for the purpose of 
giving an account of their ministry, and of receiving orders respecting 
the government of the world. Eliphaz sarcastically inquires, whether in 
consequence of being admitted into God's council, he, of all men in the 
world, is acquainted with his purposes. For wisdom seems here, as in ch. 
xxviii., to have special, though not exclusive, reference to the wisdom or 
purposes of God, by which he governs the worlds For the rendering 
drawn all wisdom, see Gee. Thes. ad jn,J. 

13* 



150 NOTES. 

11. — consolations of God. Eliphaz may here refer to the oracle, ch. 
iv. 17-21. — words so full of kindness: So Cocc, Schult., Ges. By 
their consolations, and words of kindness, he means their distant in- 
timations of his guilt, their warnings insinuated in the way of examples, 
and their exhortations to confession and amendment. Scott. 

12. — winking of thine eyes. To wink with the eyes, according to 
Hebrew usage, denoted arrogance, haughtiness, and contempt. See Ps. 
xxxv. 19; Prov. vi. 13. 

19. To whom alone, SfC. : i. e. the ancient inhabitants of Arabia, who 
had not been corrupted by intercourse with foreigners. It was no modern 
or imported doctrine, but that which prevailed amongst the earliest and 
best inhabitants of the country. Le Clerc. Eliphaz here speaks like a 
genuine Arab, whose pride is in his tongue, his sword, and his pure blood. 
Umbreit. 

20. And the number of his years is hidden from the oppressor : i. e. he 
is in constant fear of death. He is not secure of his life for a moment, his 
guilty conscience continually conjuring up fears of assassination or vio- 
lence of some kind. He is in the situation of Dionysius of Sicily : 

Districtus ensis cui super impia 
Cervice pendet, non Siculse dapes 

Dulcem elaborabunt saporem : 

Non avium citharaeque cantus 
Somnum reducent. Hor. Carm. III. i. 17. 

With this description of the condition of the wicked compare that of 
Juvenal, Sat. xiii. 192. 

21. In peace the destroyer cometh upon him. Schultens and others un- 
derstand this, When there are no signs of invasions, insurrections, or plots 
against him, his disturbed imagination is continually presenting destruc- 
tion to him. Post equitem sedet atra cura. 

22. — darkness: a common metaphorical expression for calamity. 
His despair of escaping some unhappy end, assassination for instance, is 
described here. Schult. — set apart, §c. : i. e. destined to a violent 
death. So, in substance, the Sept., ivTiTaxrai yao yjdi] eig /noac oiSi'qov. 

26. And ran against Mm with outstretched neck: i. e. with his neck 
stooping and stretched out, the attitude of a combatant running upon his 
adversary. — With the thick bosses of his bucklers. Schultens has shown 
th&tto turn the boss of one's buckler against a person is a proverbial ex- 
pression among the Arabs, meaning to become his deadly enemy. These 
metaphors drawn form the single combat, which was much in practice in 
the ancient wars, are intended to express the most daring impiety, atrocious 
violation of God's laws, and contempt of his vindictive justice. 



NOTES. 151 

27. Because he covered his face with fatness. This is a graphical des- 
cription of a luxurious and licentious person. 

30. — darkness: i. e. ruin, destruction. — his branches: i. e. his 
wealth, power, glory, all with which he was adorned, as a tree'with its 
branches. — by the breath of His mouth: i. e. of God's mouth. The des- 
truction of the wicked man seems to be represented under the image of a 
tree destroyed by a burning wind, (see note upon ch. iii. 5,) or by light- 
ning ; or torn up by a tempest sent by the Deity. See ch. iv. 9 ; Ps. xviii. 
15 ; Is. xi. 4. 

31. — vanity. The term vanity has two meanings, and therefore well 
represents the original. In the first line of the verse it denotes wickedness ; 
in the second, the consequences of wickedness, or misery. 



The speech of Eliphaz was admirably fitted to carry on the design of the 
poem, by irritating the passions of Job, and inflaming his discontent with 
the ways of Providence. In his reply he gives a pathetic representation of 
the inhumanity of his friends, and of his other severe afflictions. He then 
makes the most solemn protestations of innocence, and expresses an 
earnest desire that his cause may be tried, and his innocence vindicated, 
before he goes the way whence he shall not return. Ch. xvi. He dwells 
upon nearly the same topics in ch. xvii., and ends his reply with the 
strongest expressions of grief and despair. 

Ch. XVI. 4. — string together : lit. tie together ; nectere verba, Some 
prefer the rendering, make a league with words : i. e. raise a host of 
words. 

7. For now He, fyc. : i. e. God, whom he addresses in the next line. 

8. Thou hast seized hold of me : 'OBDpR See ch. xxii. 16, and Ges. 

Lex. The meaning of both clauses of the verse is, that the afflictions of 
Job made his friends believe that he was a bad man. 

9. His anger : i. e. God's. The image is drawn from a wild beast 
tearing the flesh of a person whom he is pursuing. — My adversary : i. e. 
God. See ch. xiii. 24, xix. 11. — sharpeneth his eyes : i. e. darts pierc- 
ing looks at me, or looks upon me with fierce and sparkling eyes. 

10. They gape : i. e. My friends, the instruments of God's anger. 
— they assemble .-i.e. like conspirators, to effect my ruin. 

15. And thrust my horn. See Ges. Rosenmiiller supposes the meta= 
phor to be borrowed from some strong and noble animal lying dead, with 



152 NOTES. 

its horn thrust into the ground ; and that the meaning is, My wealth, 
power, and glory are prostrate in the dust. See Deut. xxxiii. 17; Ps. 
lxxv. 5. 

16. — deathlike darkness. See note on ch. iii. 5. 

18. O earth, cover not thou my blood. He compares his accumulated 
miseries to blood unjustly shed, and prays that his injuries may not be 
concealed from man or Heaven, nor remain unavenged. — And let there 
be no hiding-place for my cry ? i. e. May nothing hinder my cry for 
redress from ascending to heaven ' See ch. xix. 7. In the height of his 
emotion he forgets that it is God who hath laid him low. 

19. And he that knoweth me : i^r\&, lit. my witness : I paraphrase it to 

avoid repetition. The Sept. has it, o ovvIotwq pov, probably for the same 
reason. Cranmer's Bible, And he that knoweth me is above in the height. 

21. O that one might contend: i. e. in a judicial controversy. His 
meaning is, that if the Deity would bring his charges against him, he 
should be able to clear himself, and vindicate his integrity. See ch. 
xvii. 3. 



Ch. XVII. 3. Give a pledge, fyc. The terms in this verse are obscure, 
on account of our ignorance of the ancient forms of trial. Job seems 
again to challenge the Deity to enter into a judicial contest with him in 
regard to the uprightness of his character ; and desires the Deity to give 
a pledge that he would not avail himself of his almighty power in the 
contest, but deal with him upon fair and equal terms, so that the cause 
might be decided according to strict justice, and without regard to the rank 
of the parties concerned. — Who is he that will strike hands with me ? 
i. e. Who, by the usual form of striking hands, will agree with me to be 
surety for thee ? See Pro v. vi. 1, xvii. 18, xxii. 26. This challenge, says 
Mr. Poole, savors of too much boldness and irreverence to God ; yet see- 
ing Job expresses the same desire, almost in the same manner, in ch. ix 
32, 33, and is sharply reproved by God for contending with him, in xL 2 ? 
I see no inconvenience in ascribing the same thing to him here. 

4. Therefore thou wilt not suffer them to prevail : i. e. to gain the 
victory in this contest. Thou wilt rather pronounce me innocent, and 
censure them. 

5. He that delivers up his friend as a prey. ~>Sn/> for a prey. So 

used in Gen. xiv. 24 ; 1 Sam. xxx. 24. 

6. — their abhorrence; n£3H, from the Chald. e\HF\, to spit out xal 

aiifftyjv mhoig yili^g. Sept. 

8. — at this : i. e. at seeing so good a man oppressed with such a heavy 
load of afflictions. —And the innocent, fyr.. .• i. e. the innocent will 



NOTES. 158 

resolutely oppose the wicked, when he judges the worse of piety because of 
my afflictions. Patrick, 

10. — return : i.e. to the debate. 

11. Even the treasures of my heart: i. e. what most occupied my 
heart. 

12. Night hath become day to me : i. e. I have sleepless nights. I am 
as much awake by night as by day. — The light bordereth on darkness : 
i. e. The day seems very short. The daylight seems to go as soon as it is 
come. 

13. Yea: DX, a particle of asseveration. Hos. xii. 11 ; Prov. xxiii. 18. 

See Ges. ad verb. — / have made my bed in darkness : i. e. the darkness 
of the grave. I shall soon lie down in the grave, the only place in which 
I can expect repose. * 

14. I say to the pit, fyc. By these strong expressions he intimates how 
near he believed himself to be to death. I have already made so near an 
alliance with death, that my father and mother and nearest kindred are 
nothing so near to me as the grave and worms. Others suppose him to 
express a strong desire of death in this verse. 

16. — bars of the under -world : Sheol, the gates of which are fastened 
by massive bars, so that those who have entered it cannot return. See eh. 
xxxviii. 17; Is. xxxviii. 10; Ps. ix. 13, cvii. 18. Some render ^3 solitudes 

or wastes, with less probability. See Hos. xi. 6. When together there is 
rest, fyc. Otherwise, Yea, we shall descend together into the dust! i.e. I 
and my hopes shall be buried in the same grave. So the Sept. , 1] 6uo$v- 
nadov inl- xwuccTog xaTaftrjaous&a. This is a figurative way of saying that 
all his expectations would end in misery, death, and corruption ; or that 
these were all he had to expect. 



XI. 



In the eighteenth chapter Bildad again comes forward, full of resent- 
ment against Job, on account of the low estimation in which he held their 
discourses. He accuses him of pride and arrogance. He reasserts the 
general doctrine, maintained by the friends of Job, that misery implies 
guilt, by giving a highly wrought description of the calamities which, as 
he contends, are the portion of the wicked. This description contains 
some particulars closely adapted to the circumstances of Job, and was, 
without doubt, designed to intimate that Job must resemble in character 
those whom he so much resembled in condition. 



154 NOTES, 



Ch. XVIII. 2. When will ye make, #c. Though the pronoun is in th* 
plural, there can be little doubt that Job is the person addressed. — Under- 
stand : i. e. Consider and weigh our arguments. 

3. He refers to what Job had said in ch. xvii. 4, 10. 

4. Thou that tear est thyself: lit. He teareth, fyc. This is a common 
Hebrew idiom. See ch. xii. 4, xvi. 7, xvii. 10, xxxii. 15, xli. 9. — Must the 
earth be deserted for thee ? §c. When the Orientals would reprove the pride 
or arrogance of any person, it is common for them to desire him to call to 
mind how little and contemptible he and every mortal is, in these or similar 
apophthegms : 

What though Mohammed were dead ? 

His Imams (or ministers) conducted the affairs of the nation. 

The universe shall not fall for his sake ; 

The world does not subsist for one man alone. 

Lowth , Lect. 34. 

Most critics, however, suppose the verse to have a more definite meaning. 
' ' These are proverbial forms of speech for altering what is fixed and un- 
changeable. The meaning is, if I mistake not, that God must give up his 
moral kingdom among men, or violate the immutable laws of justice by 
which it is administered, if such a man as Job escaped punishment. This 
interpretation makes an easy transition to the other part of the discourse, 
which is designed to prove that, by an unchangeable rule of Providence, 
the signally wicked shall signally perish. ' ' Scoit. 

5. Behold, the light : — the flame, §c. These metaphors denote, in 
general, splendor, prosperity, glory, or festivity. There is an allusion, in 
the latter clause of the verse, to what the Arabian poet calls the fires of 
hospitality ; these were beacons lighted upon the tops of hills by persons 
of distinction among the Arabs, to direct and invite travellers to their 
houses and tables. Hospitality was their national glory ; and the loftier 
and larger these fires were, the greater was the magnificence thought to be. 
See Pococke in Carm. Tograi, p. iii. A wicked rich man, therefore, would 
affect this piece of state from vanity and ostentation. Another Arabian 
poet expresses the permanent prosperity of his family almost in the very 
words of our author : " Neither is our fire, lighted for the benefit of the 
night-stranger, extinguished." Hamasa, p. 473. Scott. See also the 
note on ch. xxxi. 17. 

6. — lamp : He refers to the lamp which hung from the ceiling of the 
apartment. The Arabs are fond of this image. Thus they say : " Bad 
fortune hath extinguished my lamp ; " and concerning a man whose hopes 
are remarkably blasted ; " He is like a lamp, which is immediately extin- 
guished if you let it sink into the oil." See Schult. 



NOTES. 155 

7- His strong steps shall be straitened : i. e. Instead of advancing freely 
and firmly, in a wide path, he shall be reduced to the necessity of going 
timidly, in a narrow way, full of obstacles, where there is great danger of 
stumbling. This is a very common metaphor in Oriental poetry to denote 
the loss of power, prosperity, &c, as Schultens has shown by numerous 
quotations. Strong steps are free, firm, unimpeded steps. 

11. Terrors are here represented as allegorical persons, like the Furies 
in the Greek poets. 

13. His limbs : y\iy v 13 : lit. The limbs of his skin : i. e. of his 

body. — the first-born of death : i. e. the most terrible death. 

14 — the king of terrors. This is probably to be regarded as a poet- 
ical personification of death, considered as a resident of the underworld, 
comp. xxx. 23. It is not to be considered as a mythical person. For there 
are in the Hebrew writings no clear traces of a king of Hades, correspond- 
ing to the king of the infernal regions in Grecian and Roman mythology. 
— Otherwise, Terror pursueth him like a king. But the rendering 
11 pursueth" does not appear to have sufficient support from usage. 

15. Brimstone is scattered upon his habitation : i. e. it is destroyed, like 
Sodom and Gomorrha, by fire and brimstone from heaven. Grotius, Le 
Clere, Schult., and Ros. think that lightning is referred to both in this 
passage and in Gen. xix. 24 ; Deut. xxix. 23 ; Ps» xL 6. Pliny says> 
(Hist, Nat xxxv. 15,) Fulmina et fulgura quoque sulphuris odorem habent 
&e lux ipsa eorum sulphurea est. And Persius, Sat. ii. 24, 25. : 

- — — At sese non clamet Jupiter ipse ? 
Ignovisse putas, quia, cum tonat, ocyus ilex 
Sulphure discutitur sacro, quam tuque domusque ? 

graves halantes sulphuris auras. 

Lucret. VI. 222. 

Bildad may refer to the circumstance that a part of Job's property was 
consumed by lightning. Ch. i. 16. 

18. And driven out of the world : i. e. He is not conducted out of life, 
as Plato expresses it, with funeral pomp, by a numerous train of relatives 
and citizens, but is cast out of human society like a malefactor, and thrown 
under ground with infamy and execration. Scott. 



150 NOTES. 



XII. 



Job begins his reply to the harsh and passionate invective of Bildad with 
pathetic complaints of the inhumanity of his friends, in regarding his 
afflicted condition as unquestionable evidence of guilt. He maintains that 
his sufferings are not to be charged upon himself, but upon God, who had 
overwhelmed him with calamities, though he had done nothing to deserve 
them, and though he had often desired to be brought to trial. Perceiving 
that the representation of his misery had no effect upon his hard-hearted 
friends, he suddenly turns from them, and expresses the earnest desire 
that all which he had said in his defence might be recorded upon some last- 
ing monument, so that posterity, at least, might do him justice ; or that it 
might remain un effaced till the event should justify it. But his conscious- 
ness of innocence does not allow him to stop here. He is not satisfied 
with the tardy justice which posterity may render to his memory ; and he 
gives utterance to the firm and triumphant conviction, that, low as he is 
reduced by sorrow and disease, he shall yet live to see the Deity stand up 
in his favor, and vindicate him from the unfounded charges which have 
been brought against him. He also warns his friends that the time will 
come, when they shall be put to shame for their injustice and cruelty to- 
ward him. 

Ch. XIX. 2. — break me in pieces : a metaphor drawn from the pound- 
ing of kernels in a mortar, or from breaking rocks in pieces by repeated 
blows of the hammer. 

4. My error abideth with myself: i. e. I alone shall bear the con- 
sequences of my error. 

Mihi dolebit, non tibi, siquid stulte fecero. 

Plant Mengech. ii. 3. 

6 .-— my reproach : i. e. my calamities, which bring reproach and dis- 
grace upon me. 

7. Behold I complain of wrong. He certainly means wrong or violence 
done to him by God. This language is extremely harsh, and utterly in- 
excusable. It is, however, nothing more than what he had already said in 
effect, in ch. ix. 17, x. 3, xvi. 18. Indeed if such rash speeches as these 
had not come from his lips, what ground would there have been for 



NOTES. 157 

those cutting reproaches in xl. 8 : " Wilt thou even disannul my judg- 
ment? Wilt thou condemn me , that thou mayst appear righteous?" 
Scott 

9. And taken the crown from my head : i. e. deprived me of all my 
dignity and honors. See Prov. iv. 9. 

10. — I am gone : i. e. I am near death. See x. 21, xiv. 20; Gen. xv. 
2 ; Ps. xxxix. 13. — like a tree: which, being plucked up by the roots, 
does not grow again. 

12. His troops, §c. He represents his calamities by metaphors drawn 
from the siege of a city. 

15. — foreigners, SfC. : or sojourners : i. e. servants not born in his 
house ; or, perhaps, clients, persons who looked to him for protection ; 
persons connected with his family, but not residing under his roof. 
Schultens says that the same word is used by the Arabian poets to denote 
the dependents of a great man, who are adopted into his family and taken 
under his protection. But the first meaning seems to agree better with 
the connection. 

17. My breath is become strange, §c. i. e. My wife denies me her 
company on account of my offensive breath and sores. Otherwise, My 
spirit is become a stranger : i.e. lam become a stranger. — children 
of my own mother : lit. children of ?ny womb : i. e. of the same womb 
from which I came. 

20. And I have scarcely escaped with the skin of my teeth. A proverbial 
expression, denoting the utmost emaciation from disease. 

22. Why do ye persecute me like God ? i. e. without giving any reason 
or account of your conduct, accusing me of crimes without proof, and 

condemning me without trial. And not rest satisfied with my flesh : 

i. e. with the consumption and torment of my whole body, but add to it 
the vexation of my spirit, by your grievous reproaches and calumnies, 
Or, according to Schultens, Why are ye not satisfied with the reproaches 
and slanders with which ye have already tormented me ? Schultens 
remarks that to eat the flesh of another is an Arabian phrase for calumniat- 
ing him. One of their poets has the line, " I am not addicted to slander, 
nor am I one who devours the flesh of his friend. ' ' Another, speaking of 
his calumniator, says, " Who worries my flesh, and yet has not satisfied 
his avidity." The phraseology is taken from a wild beast rending his 
prey. 

23. O that my words : i. e. all my discourses, all that I have said in my 
defence, my protestations of innocence, my appeals to God, &c, so that 
all ages may be able to judge between me and my accusers, and to know 
the justice of my cause. 

24. — and with lead : i. e. infused into the letters engraven in the 
rock, in order to make them plain and legible. See Jer. xvii. 1. 

14 



158 NOTES. 

25 - 27. The design of this passage appears to be the same with that of 
xvi. 19, where Job exclaims, " My witness is in heaven, and he that 
knoweth me is on high ; " and of the numerous passages in which he de- 
sires and prays that his cause may be brought to trial, and that the Deity 
may pronounce judgment respecting the integrity of his character. This 
design is, to express, in a striking manner, the depth and sincerity of Job's 
conviction of his own innocence. So strong and clear is the testimony of 
his conscience in his favor, that what has heretofore been the object of his 
ardent wishes and prayers is now become the object of his confident ex- 
pectation ; and he expresses the firm persuasion that God will be the 
vindicator of his integrity from the charges of his friends ; that he will 
stand up on the earth, as a judge, and decide the cause in his favor ; that 
though his body be wasted away to a mere skeleton, yet without his flesh, i. e. 
in his emaciated state, he shall see God, interposing in his favor and taking 
his side in the controversy. I have, in this edition, preferred to give the 
sense without to jo, as the particle is used in xi. 15, xxi. 9. The render- 
ing of the Common Version " in my flesh" may be defended, as to its 
sense, by taken jq in its usual meaning of from, and understanding Job 

to say that he, looking out from his flesh, should see God. Whichever 
rendering be preferred, the" expectation of Job refers to a time before his 
death. 

It appears more consistent with Job's character, and with the design 
of the poem, to suppose that the main object of his confident expect- 
ation was, not restoration to general prosperity, but the vindication of his 
character from false imputations. He has the conviction that a just and 
good God will yet make it appear that his misery is no proof of his guilt. 
Throughout the poem he seems to regard all other evils light, in compar- 
ison with the loss of character ; and*to desire not so much deliverance from 
misery, as from the imputation of guilt ; and thus he refutes the insinua- 
tion of Satan, that his piety was founded in selfish motives. 

Whether Job connected the recovery of his health, and his restoration to 
general prosperity, with the vindication of his character by the Deity, it is 
not very important to decide. One objection to this supposition appears to 
be very futile. Job could not have hoped for recovery from his disease, or 
for restoration to prosperity, say some critics, for he had said, more than 
once that he had no hope, and that he was near his grave. As if a 
person, who is represented as agitated by the most violent and opposite 
emotions, could be expected to be consistent in his sentiments and lan- 
guage. What can be more natural than that Job, in a state of extreme 
depression, arising from the thought of his wrongs, the severity of his 
afflictions, and the natural tendency of his disease, should express himself 
in the language of despair, and yet that he should be animated, soon after, 



NOTES. 159 

by conscious innocence, and the thought of God's justice, goodness, and 
power, to break forth into the language of hope and confidence ? 

But, for the reasons before mentioned, it is probable that the main, if 
not the sole, object of Job's confident expectation was the vindication of 
his character by the Deity. The writer, however, without doubt, intended 
that the whole passage should have relation to the concluding part of the 
poem, where the Deity is represented as appearing and vindicating the 
character of Job by calling him four times his servant ; by rebuking his 
calumniators, and pardoning them through his intercession ; by declaring 
that he, and not his friends, had spoken that which was right, i. e. in 
regard to the question whether misery was a proof of guilt ; and by 
giving him temporal blessings in two-fold greater abundance than before 
his affliction. This interposition of the Deity appears to have been kept 
in view by the writer throughout the poem, and thus the mind of the 
reader is prepared for it. 

Of the objections to the supposition that Job here expresses his confident 
expectation of a resurrection to a life of happiness, a few will be briefly 
mentioned. They are entirely independent of the question , what was the 
general belief of the Hebrews in regard to the state of the soul after 
death. The author of the poem may have been more sceptical than 
others. 

1. The supposition is inconsistent with the general design of the poem, 
and with the course of argument. The belief in a future state of retribu- 
tion would have, in some measure, solved the difficulty respecting the 
afflictions of the good, and the prosperity of the wicked. But no one of 
the speakers alludes to it in the course of the poem. If it be a declara- 
tion of that doctrine, it is a single independent declaration of it, in a 
work, in which, from the nature of the subject, it might have been expected 
to occur upon every page. 

2. It is inconsistent with the connection of the discourse. Zophar, 
who replies to Job, makes no allusion to it, but goes on to assert the 
temporal miseries which are the portion of the wicked and of their child- 
ren. So, too, verses 23 and 24 lose their force, if we suppose the state 
after death to be referred to in the passage. 

3. It is inconsistent with several express declarations of Job in other 
parts of the poem. See ch. vii. 7, 8, x. 20 - 22, xiv. throughout, and xvii. 
11-16. When he wishes for death, he speaks of it as the termination of 
his miseries, and not as the introduction to a life of happiness. Ch. iii. 
It is, moreover, too much to suppose that the influence of feeling would 
have led him to deny so important a doctrine, had he believed in it. Under 
the influence of opposite emotions, one may be expected to express 
different opinions respecting his condition, prospects, &c , but not to deny 
so important an article of his faith. So good a man as Job would naturally 



160 NOTES. 

have been led, in his affliction, to cling the more closely to the doctrine of 
a future life of happiness, had he believed in it ; or rather, had he been 
represented by the poet as believing in it. 

4. It is not urged as a topic of consolation by either of the three friends 
of Job, nor even by Elihu, who acts the part of an umpire in the contro- 
versy, and who gives a more philosophical account than either of the 
speakers of the design of afflictions. Nor is it alluded to by God himself 
in the decision of the controversy. 

5. The Jewish commentators, who sought for every shadow of proof of 
the doctrine of a future life in the Old Testament, do not consider this as 
one of the passages by which it is supported. The same remark applies to 
most of the Greek fathers. Chrysostom speaks expressly of Job as " a 
righteous man, who knew nothing of the resurrection." Ep. ii. ad Olymp., 
&c. The supposition that this doctrine is contained in the passage 
derives its chief support from the mistranslation or misapplication of 
certain expressions in it. See also the prefatory remarks to ch. xii., xiii., 
xiv. 

6. Ewald, in his notes on the passage, being convinced that it cannot 
refer to the resurrection of the dead , brings forward a new hypothesis, 
namely, that Job's hope is in the happy existence of the disembodied 
spirit after death ; the immortality of his soul in Sheol, the underworld. 
To us this view seems still more contrary to the expressed opinions of the 
whole book, than that which supposes a reference to a resurrection of the 
body. It is liable to the preceding objections to a bodily resurrection, and 
is more specially contradicted by the author's representation of the state 
of the disembodied soul in Sheol. We have already stated, p. 123, that 
the author of Job entertained the common belief on the Hebrews in a cer- 
tain future existence of the soul in Sheol. But it was as a mere shade of 
its former existence in the upper world. It was without hope. xiv. 19, 
xvii. 11 -16, xxi. 26, and had a mere consciousness of existence, without 
activity or enjoyment, x. 21, 22, xiv. 11-14. So in Ps. vi. 5. '* In Sheol, 
who can give thee thanks ?" Is. xiv. 10. "Art thou also become weak as 
we? " 

No doubt it would be agreeable to every Christian interpreter to find the 
doctrine of a blessed immortality beyond the grave in every ancient book. 
But why believers in Christ should wish to force it into books where it 
does not exist, it is not easy to perceive. 

25. — my Vindicator: ''S&U This term, in its primitive sense, was 

applied to the person whose duty it was to maintain the rights, interests, 
and reputation of a near relative, either by repurchasing his mortgaged 
inheritance, by marrying his widow, and saving his family from extinction, 
by redeeming him from servitude, or by avenging his blood. In this 
passage it is figuratively applied to the Deity, as taking the part and 



NOTES. 161 

vindicating the character of Job against the cruel treatment and false 
accusations of his friends. It is elsewhere applied to the Deity in the more 
general sense of a deliverer from calamities of any kind. The term 
redeemer might be retained, as a figurative expression for a deliverer 
from reproach and calumny, but it would be less intelligible than the 
term vindicator, and more likely to be misapplied. That there is no 
allusion to Christ in the term, nor to the resurrection to a life of happiness 
in the passage, has been the opinion of the most judicious and learned 
critics for these last three hundred years ; such as Calvin, Mercier, 
Grotius, Le Clerc, Patrick, Warburton, Durell, Heath, Kennicott, Doeder- 
lein, Dathe, Eichhorn, Jahn, De Wette, Heiligstedt, Hirzel, and many 
others. — And ivill stand up : i. e. appear or interpose to decide the con- 
troversy. Ps. xii. 5, " For the sighing of the needy now will I arise, 
(or stand up,) said the Lord." xliv. 26, " Arise, (or stand up,) for our 
help, and redeem us." xciv. 16 ; Jer. ii. 27. — hereafter, or, at last ; 
or, at length ; tandem, Dathe ; postremo, Cast. ; posihcec, Doed. JVT1X is 

used adverbially, 2 or ^ being omitted. See Is. viii. 23, xxx. 8 ; Numb. ii. 
31; 1 Sam. xxix. 2; Prov. xxix. 11, xxxi. 25. The rendering of the 
common version is entirely unsupported by usage. — on the earth. 
Iflj;- 1 ?^. See ch. xxxix. 14, xli. 25. Lit. upon dust. Possibly the ex- 
pression dust is emphatic, as contrasted with heaven, the usual residence 
of the Creator. 

26. And though with my skin this body be wasted away. So Ros., 
Eich., and De Wette. Or, the pronoun ntf? may agree with nty, and the 

line be rendered, And after this skin, or body, of mine is wasted away. 
According to either rendering, the meaning will be, Although I should be 
reduced by disease and sorrow to a still lower condition than I am at 
present. The rendering which Gesenius adopts in his Thesaurus does not 
strike me favorably : And after my body is wasted away, this — supply 
shall happen. The expression wasted away does not imply the death of 
Job, but only that he should be extremely reduced by disease ; — without 
my flesh, i. e. reduced to a skeleton. 

27. — my friend : "h* lit. for me, or on my side. It is so rendered in 

Ps. exxiv. 1, "If it had not been the Lord, who was on our side," &c. — 
and not another §c i. e. in my absence, after I am dead. An emphatic 
expression of Job's confidence that before his death he should see the 
tlivor of God. — For this my soul panteth within me: lit. my reins are 
consumed : i. e. with desire to see that happy day. So Patrick, Dathe, 
Ros., De Wette, Ges. See Ps. lxxxiv. 2, cxix. 81, 82, cxliii. 7. 

28. And find grounds of accusation against him ? So the Sept. and 
Vulg. So Ros. and Ges. 

14 * 



162 NOTES. 



XIII. 



Zophar, not softened by the earnest and pathetic appeals of Job, nor 
convinced by his solemn protestations of innocence, but rather provoked 
by the impressive warning with which he had closed his last discourse, 
proceeds to portray, by new images and striking examples, the calamities 
which in all ages had been the lot of the wicked. He infers that Job re- 
sembles those in character whom he resembles in condition. 

Ch. XX. 10. His sons shall seek the favor of the poor : i. e. the poor 
whom their father had plundered, and who may require satisfaction or 
reparation. Or it may mean, generally, that they shall be so much 
reduced as to seek the good-will and assistance of the most destitute and 
abject ; a stronger expression than if he had merely said that they should 
become poor. It is placing them below poverty itself. — And their hands : 
i. e. the hands of the children of the oppressor : lit. his hands. The 
singular pronoun is in Hebrew not unfrequently thus used. So Deut. xxi. 
10, *' When thou goest forth against thine enemies, and God gives him 
into thine hand." See Gesenius' Gram. § 143. 

11. His bones are full of youth: i. e. of youthful vigor. So Ges. 
The same word is used in ch. xxxiii. 25 ; Ps lxxxix. 45. The meaning is, 
He shall be cut off in his youth — in the fulness of his strength. So the 
Sept. The Syr. and Arab, have it marrow. The Chald., strength. 

12. Though wickedness, §c. The wickedness in which he takes so 
much pleasure is avarice, with its accompanying crimes, oppression, in- 
justice, and cruelty. The pleasure which a depraved mind has in the in- 
dulgence of its criminal inclination is compared to an epicure's enjoyment 
of some delicious morsel. 

14. Yet his meat shall be changed within him,: i. e. changed into some- 
thing of an opposite nature as from sweet to bitter, from nutritious to 
poisonous. His meat is riches acquired by oppression ; but it is poisoned. 
A curse is connected with iniquitous acquisition. This is the poison of asps 
to him, even the Divine vengeance. Scott 

15. He hath glutted, §c. The original word is very forcible. The 
metaphor included in it is drawn from a ravenous beast devouring his 

prey, denoting great voracity. dnd he shall throw them up again : as 

an epicure does that which he has drunk or swallowed with greediness and 
delight. The sudden loss of his ill-gotten wealth, and the intolerable 
anguish of his mind in suffering such loss, are involved in this strong 



NOTES. 163 

metaphor. The curse or vengeance of God will bring this punishment ; 
God shall cast them out of him. 

16. He shall suck the poison of asps. That which he greedily swallowed, 
as pleasant nutriment, shall be as destructive to him as the poison of asps. 

17. — rivers of honey and milk. These are Oriental emblems of 
abundance and felicity. The wicked man shall not have that secure and 
permanent enjoyment of the good things of this life which he expected, or 
which is promised to the good. 

18. It is substance to be restored. See Ges. upon miDi^. So De 
Wette. T : 

20. Because he knew no rest, #c : i. e. because his cupidity was in- 
satiable. 

21. Because nothing escaped his greediness : i. e. his rapacity. So 
Heath, Ros., and De Wette. — His prosperity shall not endure. Non 
durabit bonum ejus. Syr. Nihil permanebit de bonis ejus. Vulg. 
ory. ar&ijOet arrov rlx aya-da. Sept. 

22. Every calamity of the wretched : lit. Every hand of the wretch- 
ed : i. e. Every blow or wound which cometh upon the wretched. So in 
ch. xxiii. 2, " My wound is deeper," <§-c, is, in the original, My handis 
deeper, §c. ; the instrument being used for the effect. Omnis dolor. 
Vulg. TT.haa avuyxij. Sept. 

23. He shall, indeed, have wherewith to Jill himself. This is said 
sarcastically. The next line shows what sort of food he was to have. 
— for his food. inirhl. So Schult., Ges., and Ros. See Ps. xi. 6. 

Similar images occur in the Koran. Thus : Qui occultant quod Deus 
revelavit, illi non edent in ventribus suis nisi ignem. 

24. He fieeth, #c. This was probably a proverbial expression, like 
that in Latin, Incidit in Scyllam, cupiens vitare Charybdim. 

26. — is treasured up for him : lit. is hidden, or laid up, for his 

treasures. See Rom. ii. 5. &fire, unkindled : i. e. not kindled by man, 

but sent from heaven : i. e. lightning. 

27. The heavens shall reveal his iniquity : i. e. by lightning, for in- 
stance, such as destroyed the herds of Job, or by storms of wind, such as 
destroyed his children. — And the earth shall rise up against him : i. e. 
when wild beasts, venomous serpents, or bands of robbers shall destroy 
his substance. 



164 NJI£S. 



XIV. 



The opponents of Job had persisted in maintaining that great calamities 
were a proof of uncommon guilt ; that they were the portion of the 
wicked, and of them only. This position Job overthrows, by adducing 
instances of impious men who pass their lives in ease and prosperity, enjoy 
a comfortable old age, and are favored with an easy death. Ch. xxi. 6-15. 
They might object, that the fear of reverses must mar the enjoyment of 
the guilty ; but he contends that such reverses happen so seldom, that 
the bad have not more reason to fear them than the good. 16-18. They 
might say that the children of the impious man suffered, if he did not ; 
but he asserts, with justice, that this is no punishment to the offender who 
is numbered with the dead. 19-21 He maintains, that, of two persons 
of the same character, one might be seen enjoying uninterrupted prosper- 
ity, and the other, suffering misery without cessation ; and that both came 
to the same end. 22 - 26. Perceiving by their looks that they were not 
satisfied, but still regarded his miserable condition as evidence of his guilt, 
he appeals to the testimony of travellers, who would mention instances of 
great oppressors who had escaped in a time of general destruction, and 
died a peaceful death ; who had been buried with great pomp, and had 
had so splendid a monument erected to their memory that they almost 
seemed to nourish and live again in their very tombs. 27 - 34. 

Ch. XXI. 2. And let this be your consolation : i. e I will regard your 
candid attention as an equivalent for those consolations which I had reason 
to expect from you. 

4. Is my complaint concerning man ? The preposition 7 means of or 
concerning , in Gen. xx. 13, and elsewhere. See Ges. He seems to in- 
timate that he had not so much reason to complain of man or of his friends, 
as of the severe afflictions which he received from God, whilst so many 
wicked men enjoyed prosperity. — Why then should I not be angry? 
diari ov -d-vfitod-tjaofiai ; Sept. He seems to consider the fact that his 
misery was sent upon him by God, notwithstanding his endeavors to please 
him, as a sufficient reason for his impatience and complaints. 

5. Look upon me, SfC. Silent astonishment, instead of censure, should 
be the effect of beholding a man of integrity and piety in my afflicted 
condition, while so many contemners of God, and oppressors of his crea- 
tures, are happy in life and fortunate in death. 

6. When I think of it: i. e. of what follows, viz., the prosperous 
condition of the wicked. 



NOTES. 165 

12. They sing, $c. }Kfc>\ sell. Sip, attollunt vucem. See Is. xlii. 2. 

13. And in a moment, SfC. This assertion is opposed to Zophar's re= 
presentation of the terrible death of such men, in ch. xx. 24, 25. See also 
ch. xviii. 12, 13. This is that sudden and easy death, in a green old age, 
without pain, without lingering sickness, and while their families are 
nourishing around them, which Tiresias predicts to Ulysses in the shades : 
" Death shall come to thee from the sea. It shall be a gentle death. It 
shall come when thou art subdued by a happy old age, and thy people 
about thee are happy." Odyss. xi. 133, &c. Scott. So Suetonius, after 
describing the death of Augustus, says : Sortitus est exitum facilem, et 
qualem semper optaverat. Nam fere, quo ties audisset cito ac nullo 
cruciatu de unctum quempiam, sibi et suis E-c&avaalav similem (hoc enim et 
verbo uti so^bat) precabatur. Life of Augustus, § 99. 

16. Thou sayest, fyc. There can be no doubt that, in the first line, at 
least, of this verse, Job refers to the sentiments advanced by his opponents, 
and probably in both. Some suppose that the first line is ironical ; and 
that, in the second, Job expresses his abhorrence of wickedness, notwith- 
standing the prosperity which often accompanies it. 

17. How often happens it, $c. This question is equivalent to the 
assertion that the wicked are seldom in adversity and misery. It is thus 
an answer to the assertion in the preceding verse. 

21. — is completed: i.e. according to Cocceius, is reckoned in full 
tale : i. e. when he has lived out the whole term of human life. 

22. Who then shall impart knowledge to God, Sf-c. Shall we be so bold 
as to instruct God how to govern the world, and to tell him that he is not 

just, unless he punish the wicked when we expect it ? He judges the 
highest beings, and therefore surely knows how to govern us. He, that 
rules the world of spirits, surely knows how to manage the little concerns 
of mankind. 

24. His sides, §c. Otherwise, His pastures are full of milk. See 
Ges. upon pL3£\ Later a ejus plena adipe. Arab, and Syr. ra ds syxara 

aviov jiXi'mij oitaroc. Sept. Viscera ejus plena sunt adipe. Vulg. 

28. For ye say, §c. Although these questions relate to tyrannical 
princes in general, and to other wicked men in high stations, they are in- 
tended to be applied to Job's overthrow in particular. His adversaries 
still insisted that destructive calamities are the usual portion of the wicked ; 
and that, such calamities being his portion, there was wanting no other 
evidence of his guilt. But the testimony of travellers, as he tells them, 
shows the falsity of their premises, and therefore of the conclusion drawn 
from them. Scott. 

30. That the wicked is spared in the day of destruction. : i. e. when 
destruction comes upon other men. So Merc , Schult , Pat., Ros., and 



113 NOTES. 

Ges. — A. id that he is borne to his grave in the day of wrath. See ver. 
32, and x. 19. He dies a natural, peaceful death. 

32. Even this man, §c. He is too powerful to be called to account by 
man, and, not meeting with chastisement from God, he goes to the grave 
with all the honors of interment usually paid to personages of the highest 
rank. Scott. — Yea,' he still watches over his tomb. So Dathe, Ros. , 
Eichhorn, and De Wette. He enjoys, as it were, a second life upon his 
tomb, in the honors paid to his memory, his splendid monument, and the 
fame he leaves behind him. y.ai ai : rl>g iui ao^tot ^yoi.ir^otv. Sept. 
Et super congeriem vigilabit. Chald. Et in congerie mortuorum vigila- 
nt Vulg. 

33. — the sods of the valley, fyc. These words also seem to suppose 
that the person who is buried may partake, in some respects, of the pros- 
perous state of the tomb which contains him. See the note on ch. xiv. 
22. Such an idea seems to have been indulged by Sultan Amurath the 
Great, who died in 1450. " Presently after his death, Mahomet his sonne, 
for feare of some innovation to be made at home, raised the siege, and re- 
turned to Hadrianople : and afterwards with great solemnitie buried his 
dead body at the west side of Prusa, in the suburbs of the citie, where he 
now lieth, in a chappell without any roofe, his grave nothing differing 
from the manner of the common Turks ; which, they say, he commanded 
to be done, in his last will, that the mercie and blessing of God (as he 
termed it) might come unto him by the shining of the sunne and moone, 
and falling of the reine and dew of heaven upon his grave." Knolles's 
Hist, of the Turks, p. 332. Burder's Oriental Customs, No. 507. — And 
all men, fyc. In going down to the grave he does but share the common 
lot of mortals. Innumerable multitudes have gone thither before him, 
and the succeeding generations of men shall follow him to the same place 
of assembly for all the living. Others suppose a funeral procession to be 
referred to. 



xv. 



Here begins the third series of controversy. Eliphaz. unable to refute 
the reasoning in Job's last discourse, founded as it was on undeniable facts, 
proceeds to misrepresent his sentiments, and even to charge him with par- 
ticular crimes. He begins with an attempt to expose to ridicule Job's com- 
plaints respecting his afflictions, his assertions of his innocence, and his 
appeals to the Deity, as if he had set up arrogant claims upon the divine 



NOTES. 167 

justice, and had demanded a reward for his goodness. Ch. xxii. 1 - £ 
He goes on to assert that Job's wickedness, and not injustice on the part 
of the Deity, was the cause of his misery, and charges him with a variety 
of enormous crimes. 6- 11. He also accuses him of having adopted the 
corrupt principles of those impious men, who, in former times, had 
perished by a flood, and warns him not to pursue their course, and thus 
incur their punishment. 12-20. In conclusion, he exhorts him to re- 
pentance, and gives a splendid picture of the prosperity to which he might 
look as a reward. 21-30. 

Ch. XXII. 2. Behold, the wise man profiteth himself. Corap. xxxv. 7 
Prov. ix. 12 Whatever wisdom or goodness a man has, he has the benefit 
of it, not God. 

4. Will he contend, §c. ? i. e. in a judicial controversy. Is he afraid 
that his character will suffer by thy complaints, unless, in obedience to thy 
citation, he submit to a trial, and argue his cause before some tribunal ? 

7. Thou hast refused, §c. Among the eastern nations hospitality was, 
and still is, regarded as a duty of the most sacred obligation. 

8. But the man of power had the land : i. e. The rich were always 
welcome to Job ; his house was open to them, and his land before them, 
while the poor were driven away from his house and territories. Or per- 
haps it is a more general proverbial expression, denoting the partiality 
and honor with which Job regarded the great and powerful. Or the 
meaning may be, Through your connivance, or influence, the great were 
sure to gain their cause, when they set up a claim to the land of the poor. 

9. And broken the arms : i e. thou hast taken away all their support. 
All the ancient versions render &GT in the second pers. sing., which 

makes it probable that iOIFS was formerly in the text. 

10. 11. — snares. This was a common metaphor for danger and des- 
tructive calamities ; as darkness and floods of water for overwhelming 
misery . 

12-20. What Job had said, in the preceding chapter, of the general 
impunity and prosperity of the wicked, was matter of fact. But this 
calumniator misrepresents his discourse, as a denial of a divine providence 
grounded on most absurd notions of the Supreme Being, as though he 
were limited in his presence, and could not see what passeth in our world. 
— The immense distance of heaven, the habitation of God, is represented 
by its being far above the stars. Scott. 

13. Can he govern behind the thick darkness ? Can he see, through 
the thick clouds, the crimes that are committed on earth, and thus inflict 
the punishment which they merit 1 



163 NOTES. 

14. And he walkeih upon the arch of heaven : i. e. He is at an immense 
distance from the earth, and wholly occupied in the concerns of the 
heavenly world. So Lucretius, Lib. IL. 646. 

15. Wilt thou take the old way, fyc. : i. e. Are you willing to ado : t 
the principles of those impious men who lived in the time of the deluge ? 

16. — cut down. Lit. seized, hurried away. 

1 7. By describing the impiety of these men in the very terms used by 
Job in ch. xxi. 14, 15, he confronts their exemplary destruction to Job's 
assertion of the impunity and felicity of such characters. Scott. 

18. — counsel : i. e. purposes, plans, &c. 

24. Cast to the dust thy gold, fyc. : i. e. When thou shalt regard gold as 
of no account, and cease to place thy dependance upon earthly treasure, 
as thou hast done, and shalt place thy trust upon God alone, then, &c. 

27. And thou shalt perform thy vows : i. e. Thou shalt obtain those 
blessings for which thou didst make thy vows, and accordingly perform 
them. 

28. And light shall shine upon thy ways: i. e. Thou shalt have 
success and prosperity in all thy pursuits. 

29. When men are cast down, $c. The meaning probably is, When 
men are in affliction, or in low circumstances, such shall be the efficacy of 
thy prayers, that God will raise them up. 

30. — him that is not innocent The particle '•K, rendered island in 

the common version, is used as a negative in 1 Sam. iv. 21. It is so 
rendered here, in the Chald., and by Le Clerc, Ros., Ges., and De Wette. 
The same sentiment is found in Gen. xviii. 24 ; Ezek. xxii. 30 ; Jer. v. 1. 
Ros. also observes, that it may be designed to refer to ch. xlii. 8, &c, 
where it appears that Jehovah forgave the friends of Job on account of 
his intercession. See the note on ch. viii. 7. 



XVI. 



This reply of Job is the effusion of a mind agitated by various strong 
emotions ; by deep grief, ch. xxiii. 2 ; by an earnest desire to argue his 
cause with God, since he could obtain neither justice nor mercy from his 
friends, 3 - 7 ; by distress, that he could not obtain his desire, 8, 9 ; by 
consolation in the testimony of his conscience, 10-12 ; and by consterna- 
tion and despair, arising from the thought of God's absolute dominion, 
and the immutability of his designs, 13-17- Having in some measure 



NOTES. 169 

relieved his mind by the foregoing effusions, he makes one effort more to 
convince his adversaries by reasoning with them. He denies the constancy 
and even the frequency, of the judgments of God upon wicked men. He 
produces a catalogue of enormous crimes, such as theft, oppression of the 
poor, murder, adultery, and tyranny, at which, as he thinks, the Gover- 
nor of the world seems to connive, by forbearing to punish the authors of 
them ; by suffering them to nourish during life, and to be fortunate and 
happy in the time and circumstances of their death. Ch. xxiv. 

Ch. XXIII. 2. — my wound : lit. my hand : i. e. the hand of God upon 
me. 

3. O that I knew, $c. He desires to go before the tribunal of God, as 
a man, whose character has been assailed, may demand a trial at an 
earthly bar. 

6 Would he contend, $c. ? i. e. He would not overawe me, or put me 
down, by his superior power, but would rather listen to what I might offer 
in my defence. — would have regard: 0^% ilh being understood. See 

iv. 20, xxxiv. 23. 

7. Then would an upright man, fyc. He speaks of himself in the 
third person. 

8, 9. These words are designed to express, not the mere invisibility of 
the Deity, but the earnest desire of Job, conscious, as he was, of his in= 
nocence, to obtain some visible manifestation of the Deity, and to expostu- 
late with him, face to face, upon his unmerited sufferings. Scott. The 
Hebrews, like some other of the Oriental nations, in speaking of the 
different quarters of the heavens, regarded themselves as facing the East, 
the rising sun. Backward would then be West ; the left, North ; and the 
right, South See Ges. Thes. ad "iintf- — where he worketh : Some 

suppose that God is represented as working in the places northward from 
Job, because mankind were there most numerous, and most attentive in 
observing the works of God. But may there not here be an allusion to 
an opinion, which is known to have prevailed amongst the ancient eastern 
nations, that in the farthest regions of the north was a high mountain, 
corresponding to the Olympus of the Greeks, where was the seat or 
peculiar residence of God, or the Gods ? See Is. xiv. 13 ; Ezek. i. 4, and 
the notes, and the dissertation on the subject of the Oriental opinion above 
referred to, appended to Gesenius's Comment, on Isaiah, vol. Ill- p. 316. 

10. But he knoweth, Sfc. But my consolation is, that God seeth my 
heart and my conduct. — he trieth me : i. e. he examineth and proveth 
my character. 

12. Above my own law : i. e. above what my own desires dictated. 

14. He performeth, fyc. : i. e. without regard to iny expostulations, 
15 



.170 NOILS. 

pleadings, and protestations, he proceeds to inflict upon me what he had 
purposed to inflict. Comp. ch. x. 13, 14. — such things : i. e. proceedings 
of God's providence, as dark and unaccountable as his dealings toward 
me. 

17. — darkness : i. e. affliction, misery. 

Ch. XXIV. 1. Why are not times , fyc. — days : i. e. such as those of the 
deluge, the destruction of Sodom, &c. days of God are days, when he 
manifests himself in retribution or judgment for sin. Why are not the 
wicked visited with signal punishments, which the righteous may recog- 
nise as such ? For the meaning given to r\JN see Is. xiii. 22 ; Jer. xxvii. 

7 ; Ezek. xxx. 3 ; Ecc. ix. 11, 12. 

2. — and pasture them. They are so shameless, that they pasture, in 
public view, the flocks which they have stolen from the helpless. 

4. — from the way. The proud rich men push the poor from the way, 
when they meet, and oblige them to retreat, as it were to hide themselves. 

5. — they go forth to their work: i. e. the poor and needy, of the pre- 
ceding verse, who go forth to their daily toil of seeking such roots and 
vegetables as the woods and mountains afford for their miserable subsis- 
tence. So Cocceius and Schultens, who refer to Ecclesiasticus xiii. 19. 

6. — the harvest : lit. his harvest, referring to oppressor ', in the next 
line. 

7. Dr. Shaw tells us that in Arabia Petrsea the day is intensely hot, 
and the night intensely cold. Travels; p. 438. 4to. Scott. 

8. And embrace the rock. This exactly agrees with what Niebuhr saya 
of the modern wandering Arabs, near Mount Sinai, Voyage en Arable, 
torn. I. p. 187. : " Those who cannot afford a tent spread out a cloth 
upon four or six stakes ; and others spread their cloth near a tree, or 
endeavor to shelter themselves from the heat and the rain in the cavities 
of the rocks. ' ' Burder. 

10, 11. So Addison, in his Letter from Italy : 

The poor inhabitant beholds in vain 
The reddening orange and the swelling grain ; 
Joyless he sees the growing oils and wines, 
And in the myrtle's fragrant shade repines ; 
Starves, in the midst of nature's bounty curst, 
And in the load en vineyard dies for thirst. 

12. And God regardeth not their prayer ! D^, for ^h by D^% to lay 
to heart, to regard. Ps. 1. 23. And, by altering the points, rni3f% folly * 



NOTES. 171 

becomes n^DjI, a prayer; which is the reading of two manuscripts, 

and of the Syriac version. So Doed. and Dathe. Others, And God 
regarded not the wickedness. 

13. Others hate the light, $c, : lit. These, I e. the following, are 
among those who hate, $c. So Merc. This is a description of criminals 
who practise their deeds of violence and injustice under the protection of 
darkness. 

14. With the light SfC. : i. e. Very early, by day-break. Micah ii. 1 , 
" Wo to them that devise iniquity, and work evil upon their beds ! in the 
light of the morning they practise it." 

15. And putteth a mask upon his face. So Juv. Sat. viii. 144. : 

si nocturnus adulter 



Tempora Santonico velas adoperta cucullo. 

16. In the daytime they shut themselves up. See Ges. upon DJ"\n. 

— T 

ioyuyiGav savrovc. Sept. 

17. The morning, which discovers their evil deeds, is as terrible and 
hateful to these criminals as the shadow of death, or the grossest darkness, 
is to other people. — They are familiar with : i. e. They like and desire 
the terrors of midnight darkness : i. e. midnight darkness which is terrible 
to others. So Merc, Poole and Ros. 

18. Light are they, fyc. : This line expresses the speed with which he 
is hurried away as a retribution for his crimes, like a light substance, or 
a stream ; or the speed with which the person escapes after the commission 
of a crime. — accursed portion, fyc. : i. e. They dwell in desert and un- 
cultivated places. — the vineyards : i. e. the abodes of civilized men, 
lest they be apprehended. The explanation of this and the following 
difficult verses is that adopted by Mercier, Patrick, and Ros. 

20. And iniquity, fyc. i. e. The unrighteous man is destroyed as 
completely as a tree, which, once broken or cut down, cannot grow again. 

21. He oppresseth the barren, fyc. He adds affliction to one who has no 
children to help her, and who is already afflicted with that which in those 
days was regarded as a curse and reproach. 

22. He taketh away : i. e. destroyeth. See Ps. xxviii. 3 ; Ezek. xxxii. 
20. He riseth up : i. e. against the mighty, and every one of them fears 
for his life. Ros. 

23. God giveth : lit. He giveth. See note on ch. iii. 20, — And his eyes • 
are upon their ways : i. e. God seems to smile upon them and prosper 
them in all their enterprises. 

24. They are exalted, §c. The complaint is, 1. that the wicked are 



172 NOTES. 

advanced to great preeminence ; 2. that they are favored with a death 
quick and easy, which is preceded by no reverse of their prosperity , is 
brought on by no disease, and is embittered by no sharp and lingering 
pains. This indulgent circumstance is happily illustrated by the beautiful 
simile which closes the period. Scott. 



XVII. 



The short reply of Bildad, in the twenty-fifth chapter, asserts, in a 
lofty strain, the awful majesty, supreme dominion, and infinite perfection 
of the Deity. Hence he infers the excessive arrogance of justifying one's 
self before God, and impeaching the rectitude of his government. His 
remarks are directed against the conduct of Job in calling upon God for a 
trial, and in using arguments which seemed to call in question God's 
justice. He does not attempt to answer the assertions of Job, in the last 
chapter, respecting the prosperity of the wicked. These were founded on 
facts which could not be denied , and which could not be explained on the 
principles of Job's opponents. It is, therefore, probable, that the poet 
assigned this last feeble effort to Bildad, merely in order to give occasion 
to the triumph of Job in the chapter following. 

Ch. XXV. 2. He maintaineth peace in his high places : i. e. He ruleth 
all the inhabitants of heaven in peace and harmony. Ch. xxi. 22. 

8. — his hosts ?'\. e. the stars, as is probable from the parallel line ; or 
his angels. See Dan. iv. 35. — And upon whom doth not his light arise ? 
Borne suppose that this line is intended to set forth the glory of God in 
general, as manifested in the universal diffusion of light ; as, in ch. 
xxxvi. 30, he is said to spread around himself his light, and, elsewhere, 
to cover himself with light, as with a garment, and to dwell in the light 
which no man can approach unto. Others, that it expresses the omnis- 
cience of God ; that it represents his light as penetrating everything, and 
making everything known. Others, that his light here denotes his sun. 

5. Behold, even the moon, §c. So the Vulg., Ecce, luna etiam non 
splendet. Comp. Is. xxiv. 23. 



NOTES. 173 



XVIII. 



Job begins his reply with sarcasms upon his last opponent, as having 
offered nothing relevant to the subject in dispute. He then endeavors to 
show that, if the question related to the power and perfections of the 
Deity, he could speak in as lofty a style as his opponents of the effects of 
the divine power in heaven, earth, and the regions under the earth. His 
purpose is to show that his confident assertions of his innocence are by no 
means inconsistent with the most exalted views of the wisdom and power 
of the Governor of the world ; that he adores the perfections of God, and 
yet denies that his misery is a proof of his guilt. 

Ch. XXVI. 2. — the weak. There has been a doubt to whom this 
ironical expression is to be applied ; whether to Job, to the other two 
opponents of Job, or to the Deity. From the connection, verse 4, and 
from the design and tenor of the whole chapter, it seems most probable 
that Job refers to himself. 

4. For whom, fyc. : i. e. Do you think me ignorant of the perfections 
of God, that you address me on the subject with such a magisterial air ? 
or By whom, i. e. by whose aid, &c. — And whose spirit spake through 
thee ? i. e. To what extraordinary inspiration canst thou pretend ? 

5. — the shades : i. e. ghosts, departed spirits, the inhabitants of Hades, 
or the under- world, whom the ancient Hebrews conceived of as without 
strength and with little sensation, mere shadows of what they once were ; 
eiStxika xauovrwr. See Ps. lxxxviii. 10 ; Prov. ii. 18, ix. 18, xxi. 16 ; Is. 
xiv. 9, 10, xxvi. 14, 19. — tremble: i. e. at the majesty and power of 
God. The verb Sin is often used in this sense, and U so rendered in the 
common version, in Hab. iii. 10. — the waters, fyc. : i. e. the seas and all 
the monsters that inhabit their lowest depths. 

6. The under-world — Destruction. These are different words, ex- 
pressing the same thing, viz. the abode of departed spirits, which was 
supposed to be a vast cavern, fir in the interior of the earth. See the 
passages referred to in the preceding note, and Jahn's Archaeology, §§ 203 
aod 207. With this description of the Hebrew poet, compare the passage 
on the same topic, quoted by Longinus from Homer, as one of unrivalled 
sublimity. Iliad, xx. 61. 

7. He stretcheth out the North : i. e. the northern hemisphere, or the 

15* 



174 NOTES, 

"whole visible heaven, like a canopy or tent. Is. xl. 22. — upon nothing: 
i. e. without anything to support it. 

And earth self-balanced from her centre hung. 

8. He bindeth, fyc. : i. e. He collecteth the waters into the clouds, as 
it were, in bottles or vessels, which do not let them fall until he is pleased 
to send them, drop by drop, upon the earth. 

9. — the face of his throne : i. e. the clear sky, which is sometimes 
covered with clouds. Is. lxvi. 1, " The heaven is my throne." 

10. He hath drawn a circular bound, §c. The ancients seem to have 
believed that only the northern hemisphere enjoyed the light of the sun, 
and that all below the horizon was in perpetual darkness. They also 
supposed that the earth was surrounded by water, upon which the concave 
of heaven seemed to rest, and hence the idea of a circular bound, drawn, 
as it were, by compasses at the extreme verge of the celestial: hemisphere, 
where the light was supposed to end, and the darkness to begin. See 
Virg. Georg. I. 247. 

11. The pillars of heaven tremble. Some suppose that the mountains 
of the earth, upon which the sky seems to rest, are intended ; but it is 
more probable that the vault of heaven is represented as an immense 
edifice, supported on lofty columns, like a temple. — his rebuke : i. e. 
thunder, lightning, and tempestuous winds, which were supposed* to be 
tokens of God's displeasure. 

12. — he smiteth its pride : i. e. he restrains its rage, and turns a 
storm into a calm. So Is. li. 15. 

13. — the fleeing Serpent : i. e. the fugacious, fugitive serpent ; an 
epithet borrowed from the living serpent, but referring to the constellation 
of the great Serpent or Dragon in the Northern hemisphere. The reader 
will remark the coincidence of this epithet with the word elabitur in 
Virgil, Georg. I. 244. 

14. Lo ! these are but the borders of his works : i. e. We are acquaint- 
ed only with the surface and outlines of the works of God. — How faint 
the whisper, §c. : i. e How very little do we know concerning the divine 
operations ! — But the thunder of his power. By this expression I under- 
stand the higher exertions of his power, as opposed to its ordinary opera- 
tions, with which we are in some measure acquainted. The meaning thus 
will be, that what is known of God's works is to that which is unknown 
as a whisper to a peal of thunder. Others suppose that the thunder of 
his power means the loudest and most terrible thunder. But it is not 
probable that he referred to literal thunder, as a special mystery among 
the works of God. 



NOTES, 175 



XIX. 



The three friends of Job now gives up the discussion. Bildad, his last 
opponent, had said but a few words, and those in the manner of a retreat- 
ing adversary. He had also been triumphantly driven, as it were, from his 
ground by Job. Zophar, therefore, is represented as thinking it prudent 
to make no reply. From this discomfiture of his opponents, Job, taking 
courage, goes on to express his feelings and views, in a more calm, but 
not less decided manner than before. He begins with a renewed and 
solemn declaration of his innocence, and expresses the most resolute 
determination to assert it against all who may call it in question, to the 
very last moment of his life. Ch. xxvii. 2-7. On account of what he 
had said of the prosperity of the wicked, his opponents had accused him 
of approving them, and of envying their condition. He therefore ex- 
presses his abhorrence of a vicious character, and speaks of the satisfac- 
tions arising from virtue and piety, to which the wicked man is a stranger. 
8-10. He had all along maintained, in opposition to his friends, that 
this world is not the scene of a regular distribution of good and evil; that 
virtue is often oppressed, and vice triumphant ; and that the greater part of 
wicked men go unpunished, grow old in ease and affluence, and at length 
die in peace. But now, having reduced his opponents to silence, he 
frankly owns that there are some examples of divine vengeance, such as 
they had asserted ; that the evils which sometimes, though not always, as 
they contended, are the consequences of guilt, are sufficient to deter him 
from envying the condition of the wicked, and from following their evil 
courses. 11-23. The inconsistency of Job is only apparent, proper 
allowance being made for strong expressions elicited by the heat of con- 
troversy. He concedes not his main position, viz., that the innocent often 
suffer. He holds fast his innocence, and will not let it go. t He admits not 
the main conclusion of his opponents, viz., that human suffering always 
implies guilt, or that he is wicked because he is a sufferer. His present 
deliberate position is, that, as the virtuous do suffer, there is some 
mysterious cause of human suffering besides the vices of men, while he 
admits the correctness of the representations of his opponents respecting 
the ordinary consequences of sin. Thus the dispute is brought to a crisis. 
Without this concession, compromise, or apparent inconsistency in the 
language of Job, there could have been no end to discourses on the miseries 
of sin, on the one hand, and the prosperity of the wicked, on the other. 



176 NOTES. 

The difficulty, therefore, which has puzzled so many critics* and led Dr 
Kennicott to propose an important alteration in the text, proves to be a 
necessary part of the plan of the profound and ingenious author of the 
book. 

The subject of the next chapter is wisdom : i. e. that high, absolute 
Divine wisdom, which formed the plan, and directs all the concerns of 
the Universe. Job had allowed, in the former chapter, that God makes 
examples of some wicked men. He had maintained, in ch. xxi., that 
others equally guilty escape with impunity. He had also asserted, in ch. 
ix. 22, that general calamities involve the best and the worst men in one 
common destruction. These are perplexing appearances. Hence his 
thoughts are naturally led up to those impenetrable counsels which direct 
all this seeming confusion. The powers of the human mind have made 
surprising discoveries in natural things. Man has penetrated the bowels 
of the earth, and surmounted the greatest obstacles for the purpose of 
obtaining the treasures hidden in those regions of darkness. But all the 
riches of the world cannot purchase, nor the highest genius and industry 
of man attain, the knowledge of the whole plan of Providence in the 
administration of the world, or the reasons for which he sometimes sends 
calamities upon individuals. Only He can comprehend the whole to 
whom are known all his works from the beginning. The inference is, that 
instead of prying into mysteries which he cannot understand, the duty of 
man is to adore his Maker, and obey his commandments. This is the 
wisdom proper to man. 

Oh. XXVII. 2. — who hath rejected my cause : i. e. who hath refused 
me justice. 

4. — deceit : i. e. the deceit of confessing guilt, of which he is not 
conscious. 

6. / will hold fast, fyc. I will continue to assert it, or I will not 
acknowledge that I am guilty. I will be as tenacious of it as a good 
soldier is of his shield. The original term for hold fast is the same as 
that used in ?s. xxxv. 2, in connection with a shield. — My heart, fyc. 
ov yao ai'voida ipavToi drona fiQutaq. Sept. Neque enim reprehendit me 
cor rneum in omni vita mea. Vulg. 

8. — cutteth off his web, fyc. This metaphor seems to be drawn from 
the weaver, who, when his web is nnished, cuts it off from the thrum by 
which it was fastened to the beam. See vi. 9 ; and Is. xxxviii. 12. 
Otherwise, when he hath gotten plunder. — taketh away his life. lit. 
draweth out his life : i. e. as a sword from its sheath. Schnurrer con- 
jectures that St^ is contracted for SttS^, in which case the meaning will 

be, demandeth his life. 



! 



NOTES. ITT 

12. — = vain thoughts : i. e. such as they had expressed, when they main- 
tained that suffering was a sure proof of guilt, or that Job was suffering 
the punishment of a grossly wicked man, such as he goes on to describe 
See the introductory remarks to this chapter. 

13. The passage from this verse to the end of the chapter presents a 
difficulty ; since, at first view, Job seems to renounce his former senti- 
ments, and to adopt those of his opponents. One method of explaining 
it, satisfactory to me, is given in the introduction to this chapter. 

14. — it is for the sword : i. e. they shall be slain in war. 

15. — shall be buried by Death : i.e. they shall have no grave-digger 
but Death, or, they shall be unburied. See Jer. xvi. 4. Others render it, 
shall be brought to the grave by the pestilence. &avarog sometimes has 
this meaning in the Apocalypse. 

16. And procure raiment as clay. It was the custom of the ancients 
to lay up raiment in their treasuries as well as gold and silver. So Virgil 
of Messapus, Mn. ix. 26. : 

Dives equum, dives pictalf vestis et auri. 

It is customary through all the East, says Sir J. Ckardin, to gather to- 
gether immense quantities of furniture and clothes ; for their fashions 
never alter. 

18. — like the moth. The house and family of the oppressor shall not 
be more durable than the slight fabric which the moth makes in a garment 
and which is destroyed when the garment is moved or shaken. See Dr. 
Harris's Nat. Hist, of the Bible, p. 297. — Or like the shed } $c : which 
was made for the watchman of a garden, whose business it was to defend 
the fruit from birds and beasts while it was ripening, and which was 
taken down when the fruit was gathered. See Is. i. 8. Niebuhr, in his 
Description of Arabia, p. 139, says, " In the mountains of Yemen they 
have a sort of nest in the trees, where the Arabs sit to watch their fields 
after they have been planted. But in the Kehama, where there are but 
few trees, they build a light kind of scaffolding for this purpose," Mr, 
Southey opens the fifth part of his Curse of Kehama with a similar 
allusion, quoted by Dr. Good : 

Evening comes on : arising from the stream, 
Homeward the tall flamingo wings his flight ; 
And where he sails athwart the setting beam, 
His scarlet plumage glows with deeper light. 
The watchman, at the wished approach of night, 
Gladly forsakes the field, where he, all day, 
To scare the wingel plunderers from their prey, 
With shout and sling, on yonder clay-built height, 
Hath borne the sultry ray. 



178 NOTES. 

19. The rich man lieth down ; i. e. dies. — and is not buried : lit, 
not gathered : i, e. as the slain are gathered in battle for buriaL — In the 
twinkling of an eye he is no more : lit He openeth his eyes and is no 
more. So Merc, Ges.*, and Ros. 

Ch. XXVIII. 2. And stone is melted into copper. So Pliny, Nat, 
Hist, xxxiv. 1, 22, and xxxvi. 27, 66 : Ms fit ex lapide seroso, quern 
vocant Cadmiam ; et igne lapides in ees solvuntur. 

3. Man putteth an end to darkness : i. e. The darkest recesses of the 
earth are made light by torches, carried thither by man. — For the 
stone of darkness. Schultens supposes the centre of the earth to be 
denoted by this expression. Others, the metallic ore in the darkest parts 
of the earth. 

4. From the place where they dwell : U-DJJD. Following Schultens, 

who assigns to *u a meaning from the Arabic, I formerly rendered these 

words, From the foot of the mountain. The present rendering is accord- 
ing to the common meaning of the Hebrew terms. Gesenius supposes the 
expression to be elliptical for D# 13 "lttfK D^D, lit. From there where one 

dwells : i. e. From the surface of the earth, the abode of man. This cor- 
responds with the last line of the verse, they swing away from men. — a 
shaft : i. e. a passage leading into a mine. — Forgotten by the feet : i. e. 
unsupported by the feet. They do not descend by their feet, but are let 
down by ropes or baskets. 

5. — torn up, fyc. : i. e. Effects are produced by man, in excavating 
the earth, similar to those produced by subterranean fires. So Pliny : 
Persequimur omnes ejus (terrae) fibras, vivimusque super excavatam. . . . 
Imus in viscera ejus* et in sede Manium opes quserimus, tanquam parum 
benigna fertilique, quaqua calcatur [perhaps, secatur]. Hist. Nat. xxxiii. 1 . 

7. The path thereto: i. e. to the place of sapphires, gold ore, &c. 
Verses 7 and 8 are probably designed to illustrate the intrepidity of man 
in penetrating these dangerous regions of darkness. The most far-sighted 
birds could not see them, or find their way to them. The most daring 
beasts of prey would not venture into them. Vulture : I think it better 
to rely on the Sept. and other ancient versions as to this meaning than 
on uncertain etymological conjecture. 

9. Man layeth his hand, <§-c. This and the following verses describe 
the immense labor and difficulty of working a mine. Man overcomes 
every obstacle which nature has placed in his way. 

10. He causeth streams, fyc. This was done either for the purpose of 
drawing off the water which impeded their operations, or of washing the 
impure ore. 



NOTES. 179 

11. — bindeth up the streams, SfC. : i. e. the water which trickles down 
the shaft of the mine. 

12. But where shall wisdom be found ? Having given an imposing 
view of the powers of man in regard to natural things, he proceeds to 
give as emphatic a representation of his inability to fathom the counsels of 
God, or to understand the reasons which direct him in the government of 
the world, particularly in the distribution of happiness and misery. 

13. Man knoweth not the price thereof: i. e. He hath no means or 
ability to obtain it. 

21. And kept close from the fowls of the air : i. e. The residence of 
wisdom is beyond the flight of the swiftest and strongest birds. This is 
saying, in a poetical, and perhaps a proverbial manner, that this wisdom 
is not to.be found within the limits of our world. Scott. 

22. Destruction and Death : i. e. the under- world, Hades. — We 
have heard a rumor, fyc. : i. e. It is at such an immense distance from us, 
that we have only heard a rumor respecting it. 

23. God knoweth the way to it : i. e. God only knoweth the reasons of 
his dispensations to men. 

27. — and make it known : i. e. to his angels. Or, He made his 
wisdom visible in his works. 

28. — that is wisdom : i. e. The wisdom of man does not consist in 
the knowledge of the reasons of the divine government , but in piety and 
holiness. 



xx. 



Job now returns to his own case, as a striking illustration of the mys- 
terious ways of Providence, of which he had spoken in the last chapter. 
His aim is to show that all his pleadings and complaints were well founded: 
He beautifully descants upon his former prosperity, ch. xxix., and 
exhibits the striking contrast between it and his present affliction and de- 
basement, ch. xxx. Lastly, in answer to the unfounded insinuations and 
false charges of his friends, he relates the principal transactions of his 
past life, asserts his integrity, as displayed in the discharge of all his 
duties relating to God and man, and again appeals to the omniscience and 
justice of God in attestation of his sincerity, Ch, xxxi, Lowth, 



180 NOTES. 



Ch. XXIX. 8. When hit lamp shone over my head* The houses of 
Egypt, according to Maillot, ate never without Lights in the night-time, ir 
such were the ancient custom, not only of Egypt, but of the neighboring 
countries of Judea and Arabia, it. will strongly illustrate this passage. 
Mr. Scott, however, thinks that t h<^<* is probably an allusion to the lamps 
which hung ("nun the coiling in the banqueting rooms of the weal thy 
Arabs. — walked through darkness. Here is reference probably to the fin's, 
or other lights, which were carried before the caravans in their night-travels 
through the deserts. The extraordinary favor of God and his protecting 
care are denoted by the metaphors in both parts of this verse. 

I. .My autumn i rff *>*«//, c }iOV 9 i. e. in j ripeness, the flower of my 
age. Comp, the Greek dftaQti. Or autumn may refer to the time of his 
greatest outward prosperity ; of the ripest fruits of life. 

6. When I bathed, $C» : i. e. When streams of milk met me, as it were, 
Wherever] went. Olive groves and abundance of cattle made the prin- 
cipal Wealth Of the Arabs. The best olives grew Upon the rocky 
mountains. Hence the bold figures by which the Arabs express a condi- 
tion ol* uncommon felicity. See Dent, xxxii. 1. 4> >, 11. Seott. 

7. — to tHe gate . i. e. the forum, or place Where the courts were* held. 
— And took my seat, fyc. " Job here speaks of himself as a civil magis- 
trate, who had a seat erected for him to sit upon whilst ho was hearing 
and trying causes ; and this was set up in the street, in the open ail , 
before the gate of the city, where great numbers might be convened, and 
hear and see justice done. The Arabs, to this day, hold their courts of 
justice in as Open place under the heavens, as in a field, or a market- 
place. 11 Burder % % Oriental Customs, No. 616. 

s. The young men, $c, Savary, in his Letters on Egypt, Vol. [. p. 
L49, says, " The children are educated in the woman's apartment, and do 
not come into the hall, especially when strangers are there. Young 
people are silent when in this hall; if men-grown, they are allowed to 
join the conversation ; but when the Sheik begins to speak, they cease, 

and attentively listen. [f lie enters an assembly, all rise | they give him 

way in public, and everywhere show him esteem and respect." — And 

the aged arose and slood. This is a most elegant, description, and exhibits 

most correctly the great reverence and respect which was paid, even by 

the Old and decrepit, tO the holy man in passing along the streets, or when 

in public. They not only rose, which in men so old and infirm was 

at mark of distinction, but they stood ; they continued to do it, 

ii the attempt was so difficult. Lowth, 

I I. ; clothed myeelf, <Yr. 1. e. 1 wis clothed with righteousness, as 

rment without, and it wholly filled me within. I . ther 



.NOTES. l s l 

righteous within and without. This meaning is made probable by the 
paronomasia of the Hebrew, and also by such expressions as Judges vi. 
34. "The spirit of Jehovah put on Gideon. By altering the vowel 
points so as to change the conjugation from kal to hiphil,one might sustain 
the rendering of the common version. — robe and diadem. A proverb 
still in use among the Arabs is, " Knowledge is a diadem to a young 
person, and a chain of gold about his neck." Scott, referring to 
Schultens. 

18. — I shall die in my nest. Schultens remarks that the image is 
taken from the eagle, who builds his nest on the summit of a rude. 
Security is the point of resemblance intended. See ch. xxxix. 27, 28 ; 
Numb. xxiv. 21 ; Obad. ver. 4. 

19. My root is spread, §c. A tree planted by the river? of waters, 
and bringing forth its fruit in its season, is a beautiful emblem of pros- 
perity. See Ps. i. 3. The dews, which fall very plentifully in the night, 
contribute greatly to the nourishment of vegetables in those hot climates 
where they have scarcely any rain during the summer. Scott. 

20. My glory is fresh. A flourishing evergreen was the image in the 
preceding verse, and is carried on in this. — And my bow gathers strength 
in my hand. By the state of the weapons commonly used, the Orientals 
express the condition, as to strength or weakness, prosperity or adversity, 
of the person who uses them. See Gen. xlix. 23, 24. The figure is very 
common in Arabic poetry, as may be seen in Schultens' note upon this 
verse. 

22. When my speech dropped down upon them. So Deut. xxxii. 2, 
44 My doctrine shall drop as the rain." So Homer speaks of Nestor's 
eloquence, Iliad, I. 249. : 

Tor xai a.io yA<oont t c tiiXunc yAvyAuw yter ai : A(' 
Words, sweet as honey, from his lips distilled. Pope. 
So also Milton, Par. Lost, II. 112. : 

though his tongue 

Dropt manna, &c. 

23. They waited, fyc. : i. e. They waited for my opinion with the same 
eager desire with which the husbandman doth the showers after he hath 
sown hi? seed ; they gaped for it, as the thirsty earth doth for the latter 
rain to plump the corn. Patrick. Among the Egytians, the heavens 
pouring down rain or dew was the hieroglyphic of learning and instruc- 
tion. Burder. 

24. If I united upon them, they believed it not. The reverence in 

16 



182 NOTES. 

which I was held was 80 great, that, if I laid aside my gravity arid was 
familiar with them, they could scarcely believe that they were so highly 
honored ; my very smiles were received with awe. — Nor did they came 
the light of my countenance to full. In the Scriptures to lift up the light 
of the countenance means to show favor. The opposite expression, there- 
fore, to came the light of the countenance to fall, must mean to provoke 
displeasure by unbecoming behavior ; to bring a cloud upon the counte- 
nance. 

25. When I came among them : lit. I chose their way; the particle 
DX being understood. Or rather it is a common idiom of the Hebrew to 

omit the conditional particle, just as when in English one puts the verb be- 
fore the pronoun. Smiled I upon them, then they believed it not. Came 
I among them, then I sat, tyc. 

Ch. XXX. 1. — younger than /, The veneration paid to the aged by 
the Orientals quickened their sensibility with respect to contempt and in- 
dignities offered by the young. 

2. Of what use, fyc. : i. e. If I have a mind to employ them, they are 
so reduced and enfeebled by their wretched condition as to be incapable of 
rendering me service. Old age, fyc. : i. e. who are so much emaciated by 
famine, as to have no hope or prospect of old age. 

8. — famished: *TO L ?J|, primarily, hard; and is applied to a dry, 

stony soil ; and hence it denotes, barren, dry, emaciated, according to the 
connection. It occurs in ch. xv. 84, and Is. xlix. 21. — The darkness of 
desolate wastes : more literally, Darkness, wasting, and desolation ; or, 
The night of wasting and desolation. See note on ch. iii. 7. See Merc, 
or Ges upon tf/DX. 

4. — pur slain. It is most probable that it denotes the plant atriplex 
halimus, or sea-orach, or purslain, which Dioscorides describes as a kind 
of bramble without thorns, the leaves of which used to be boiled and 
eaten. It has a saltish taste. !"Vlbo is a denominative from rv?D, salt 

So we have in English salad, and in French, German, Italian, salade, 
salat, insalata. See Harris's Nat. Hist, of the Bible, p. 285. — the 
broom. This is a plant abounding in the desert and sandy plains of 
Egypt and Arabia. Its root is very bitter. See Ros. 

8. — beaten: i. e. driven out with blows. 

10. — spit before my face. The association between spitting and shame 
is such now in the East that we can scarcely conceive of it. Monsieur 
d'Arvieux tell> us, " The Arabs are sometimes disposed to think, that, 
when a person spits, it is done out of contempt ; and that they never do it 
before their superiors." I>ut Sir J. Chardin's MS. goes much farther. 



NOTES. 183 

He tells us, in a note on Numb, xii. 1 4, that (l spitting before any one, or 
spitting upon the ground in speaking of any one's actions, is, through the 
East, an expression of extreme detestation." It was probably all that the 
law required in Deut. xxv. 9. -333 often denoting before one, in one's 

presence. See Josh. xxi. 44, xxiii. 9 ; Esth. ix. 2. See Harmer's Observ. 
ch. xi., obs. xcviii. 

11. They let loose the reins, and afflict me. They insult and afflict nue 
without restraint j and in an unbridled manner. Thus the meaning is the 
same as that of the other clause of the verse. 

12. — the brood. ihe youth are thus called by way of reproach. 
— They raise up ways for my destruction. More literally, They raise up 
their ways of destruction, or destructive ways, against me. The metaphor 
is drawn from the advance of a besieging army against a city. 

13. They break up my path : i. e They oppose all my plan's, and 
hinder me from taking any course for my relief or benefit. — They that 
have no helper ! Schultens has shown that the phrase, one who has no 
helper, was proverbial amongst the Arabs, and denoted a worthless person, 
or one of the lowest class. It is probably so used here. 

15. They pursue my prosperity : i. e. They come upon me with 
unrelenting violence, destroying my peace. The image is borrowed from a 
person buffeted by a violent storm. 

16. — is poured out in grief. So in Ps. xlii. 4. In our language we 
say that one is dissolved in grief. The foundation of the metaphor is. 
that in excessive grief the mind loses, as it were, all consistence. The 
Arabians style a fearful person one who hath a watery heart, or whose 
heart melts away like vcatr. 

17. — my gnawers : i. e. my gnawing pains. Et qui me comedunt non 
dormiunt. Yulg. 

18. — is my garment changed: i. e. his skin which was affected by the 
leprosy, so that he cou'd scarcely be recognised. Some, however, suppose 
the meaning to be that his outer garment, the mantle, bar] become close 
like the tunic. Schultens renders it, it (pain) hath become my garment. 
He has shown that it is a common metaphor in Arabic poetry. It agrees 
well with the parallel clause. — like the coVar of my tunic. The 
allusion probably is to that kind of Eastern tunic which was seamless, and 
iill of a piece, and had an opening at the top, with a sort of collar which 
was fastened close around the neck. Comp. Exod. xxviii. 32. 

19. — I am become like, fyc. : i. e. more like a mass of inanimate matter 
than a living man. See ch. ix. 31, and note. 

20. I stand up. Standing being the usual posture of prayer amongst the 
Hebrews, to stand, or stand up, is sometimes used for to pray, as Grotius 
remarks in his note on Matt, vi 5. See Gen. xviii 22; Jer. xv ; 1. Scott. 



1 8 I NOTES. 

22. Thou lij'test me up, $e. He represents his miseries under the image 
of a person caught up into the air by a tempest and driven like stubble, or 
like a cloud, by the wind. — Thou mehest me away : l. e. my strength of 
body and mind. Thou leavest nothing solid or firm in me. Some think this 
to be a continuation of the metaphor in the first clause, referring to a cloud, 
which, having been driven about by the wind, melts away and disappears. 
— in the storm: or more literally, the rattling, or clashing, or noise of 
the tempest. With considerable hesitation I have concluded to adopt this 
rendering, proposed by Stuhlmann, in his Translation published in Ham- 
burg, 1804, as being on the whole more probable than any of th3 various 
meanings assigned to the Hebrew in ancient or modern versions. The rend- 
ering of the Common Version — my substance, or the similar rendering — my 
safety — my strength, fyc. involves the unusual construction, Thou meltest 

me away as to substance or safety, and besides is not in accordance with the 

i 
preceding figure. By altering the vowel points so as to read r\WF\, and 

regarding this as equivalent to HXI^n, or nwttfjl, which is found in the 

plural in xxxv. 29, referring to the noise, rattling, or clashing of Jehovah's 
tabernacle, and xxxix. 7 referring to the shoutings of the driver, and in 
Is. xxii. 2 to the tumult of a multitude, and in Zech. ix. 7 to shouts of 
joy. As to the omission of the X, which this rendering supposes, it 
occurs often in Job. See xxii. 29, xxxi. 35, xxxiii. 17, xxxiv. 36, xxxix. 
7. A considerable number of modern Hebraists, such as Ewald, Heiligstedt, 
Hirzel, Schlottman, and others have adopted this rendering. If it be 
liable to objections, are not other renderings liable to greater ? 

24. For a defence of this rendering, see Ros., and Qes. Lex. upon y2. 

It is also adopted by De Wette. 

26. But when I looked, Sfc. He expected to be made happy all his life, 
through the divine benediction, on account of his charity and other 
virtues ; but, instead of that, he was made most miserable. 

27. My bowels boil, fyc. These expressions, in their literal meaning, 
describe the violent inward heat caused by his inflammatory disease. 
They may likewise include the ferment of his mind ever since his afflictions 
came upon him. The heart and the reins, in the Oriental figurative style, 
denote the thoughts and passions. Scott. 

28. / am black, but not by the sun. His disease had made his com- 
plexion as swarthy as that of the poor laborers in the field, who are 
exposed to the scorching sun in that hot climate ; and so sharp were his 
pains, that he was obliged to shriek out, even in a public assembly. 

29. I am become a brother to jackals : i. e. I am like the jackal with 
respect to his mournful cries. Dr. Shaw observes that jackals make a 



NOTES. 185 

hideous howling in the night. Dr. Pococke observes, in his note upon 
Micah i. 8, "The ancient Syriac describes it by a word, which, in that 
language, as their own authors tell us, signifies a kind of wild beast, 
between a dog and a fox, or a wolf and a fox, which the Arabians call, 
from the noise they make, Ebn Jiwi, or wawi, and our English travellers 
and other Europeans, by a name borrowed from the people of those 
countries, where they are more known than in Europe, jackales, which, 
abiding in the fields and waste places, make in the night a lamentable 
howling noise, insomuch that travellers, unacquainted with them, would 
think that a company of people, women or children, were howling one to 
another, as none that have travelled in those parts of Syria, &c, can be 
ignorant. This translation seems to carry more reason with it than the 
rendering it dragons; because of the hissing of dragons, as of other 
serpents, we hear and read, but nowhere in any creditable author of their 
howling, or making such a noise as may be called waiting, or like to it." 
Bee also \ps in Ges. Lex., and Harris's Nat. Hist. p. 113. — And a com- 
panion to ostriches. Companion is used like brother in the preceding line, 
to denote resemblance. See Ges. upon rttjT. 6 * During the lonesome part 

of the night,'' says Dr Shaw, " they (the ostriches) make very doleful and 
hideous noises ; which would sometimes be like the roaring of a lion ; at 
other times it would bear a nearer resemblance to the hoarser voice of 
other quadrupeds, particularly of the bull and the ox. I have often heard 
them groan as if they were in the greatest agonies." Shaw's Travels, 
Vol. II. p. 348. 8vo. 

30. — is black, and falleth from me: lit. is black from upon me 
Construct. Praeg. 

31. My harp, $c. These were probably proverbial expressions, 
denoting a change from happiness to misery. 

Ch. XXXL The apology of Job in this chapter, says Mr. Scott, which 
turns chiefly on his behavior in private life, is not the effusion of vanity 
and self-applause. It is, in regard to his antagonists, necessary self- 
defence and solid refutation. Yet I think, from its connection with the 
foregoing account of his sufferings, and from verses 35-37, his favorite 
design evidently is to show that God had multiplied his wounds withowt 
cause. In this view he is chargeable with justifying himself more than 
God ; that is, with making his own cause to be more just than that of 
Providence. If we except this fault, however, the picture which he has 
drawn is a masterly piece of moral painting. Nothing can be more 
finished and amiable than the character here represented. It is an 
exemplification of the most disinterested virtue, inspired and ennobled by 
16* 



180 NOTES. 

the most rational and exalted piety. In short, this apology may be justly 
fityied a tine epitome of morality and religion. 
1. How then, $c. : or, That I would not, fyc. 

6. Let him weigh me, §c. Some suppose this verse to be parenthetical, 
and that the imprecation in verse 8 relates to verse 5, as well as to verse 
7. Others, that this verse includes a tacit imprecation : Let him weigh 
me, $c, and if I am found guilty, May he do so to me, and more also ! 

7. — from the way : i. e. of rectitude. — Or if any stain: i. e. any 
unjust gain. If I have taken the property of others by fraud or violence. 
The Sept. renders the clause, If I have touched gifts with my hands : i. e. 
taken bribes. 

9. — a woman. A woman here means a married woman. It stands 
opposed to a maid in verse 1, and is rendered wife in ver. 10. — watched, 
Sec, to see when the husband was absent, and when there was an oppor- 
tunity for committing adultery. 

10. Then let my wife grind for another : i. e. let her be his abject 
slave. The ancients ground their corn with hand-mills. This was the 
work of female servants. See Ex. xi. 5 ; Is. xlvii. 2 ; Matt. xxiv. 41. 

12. Yea, it were afire, §c. The commission of such a crime would 
have provoked God to send destruction, like a consuming fire, upon my 
family and estate. See Vs. lxxxiii. 14. 

14. — riseth up : i. e. as a judge, to inquire into and punish the sins of 
men. 

16. Or caused fhp eyes of the widow to fail : i. e. If I refused her the 
relief which she implored of me with earnest eyes. 

17. Have lea/en my morsel alone? "No sooner was our food pre- 
pared, whether it was potted flesh, boiled with rice, a lentil soup, the red 
pottage, Gen. xxv. 30, or unleavened cakes, served up with oil or honey, 
than one of the Arabs, after having placed himself on the highest spot of 
ground in the neighborhood, calls out thrice with a loud voice to all their 
brethren, the sons of the faithful, to come and partake of it, though none 
of them were in view, or perhaps within a hundred miles of them." 
Shaw's Travels, Vol. I. p. xx. Burckhardt informs us that in Kerek, a 
city in Arabia, " when a stranger enters the town, the people almost come 
to blows with one another, in their eagerness to have him for their guest, 
and fchere are Turks who every other day kill a goat for this hospitable 
purpose." / 

18. — helped the widow : lit. assisted her, the antecedent being in verse 
16. 

21. Because I saw my help in the gate: i.e. When, on account uf 
my influence in the courts of justice, I could commit any act of injustice 
with impunity. 

22. And my fore-arm, fyc. There is a striking grandeur in this im- 



NOTES. 187 

precatiou on the arm that was lifted up to threaten an orphan in a court 
of justice. Scott. — from its Lone : i. e. from the upper arm, to which it 
was appended. 

26. If T have beheld, §c. See Deut. iv. 19. Sabaism, or the worship 
of the heavenly bodies, was doubtless the most ancient species of idolatry. 
The Arabs went early into it. They adored the sun and moon, the planets, 
and the fixed stars. See Encyclop. Amer Art. Sabaism. 

27. And my mouth have kissed my hand. Kissing the idol was an act 
of religious homage. The Mahometans, at the present day, in their 
worship at Mecca, kiss the black stone, which is fastened in the corner of 
the Beat- Allah, as often as they pass by it, in their rapid walks round that 
sacred building. If they cannot come near enough to kiss it, they touch 
it with their hand, and kiss that. This seems to be a remnant of the 
ancient idolatry, though not practised as such by them. The heavenly 
bodies, being at too great a distance for a salute of the mouth, their wor- 
shippers substituted kissing their own hands in place of that ceremony. 
Scott. Minutius Felix (De Sacrif., cap. 2, ad fin.) remarks, that, when 
Caecilius observed the statue of Serapis, " according to the custom of the 
superstitious vulgar, he moved his hand to his mouth, and kissed it with 
his lips." 

32. The stranger, fyc. See note on ver. 17. 

33. — after the manner of men. See Is. viii. 1 ; Ps. lxxxii. 7. Other- 
wise, Have I, like Adam, hidden my transgressions. 

34. I have followed Schultens, Dathe, and Scott, in rendering this 
verse in the imprecatory form. Some confine the imprecation to the last 
line of the verse. 

35-37. Job here renews the wish, which he had expressed in ch. xvii. 
3, and elsewhere, that God would enter into judgment with him. He is 
convinced that the result of a trial would be honorable to him. " Bolder . 
words than these Job had not uttered in the whole dispute. These pro- 
voked Elihu to renew the debate, and these are the expressions for which 
the Almighty chiefly reprimanded him, in ch. xl. 2, 8, taking little or no 
notice of the rest. 1 " Michaelis. 

35. — signature, )p[. This is the name of the Hebrew letter n, which 

has the form of a cross in the Phoenician Alphabet, and on the coins of 
the Maccabees. See in Stuart's Grammar the Hebrew coin-letter. This 
mark, or cross, was used, probably, to denote the name of the person who 
used it, when he was unable to write his name. Hence it denotes a sub- 
scription to a writing of complaint or defence, or, by metonymy, the 
writing itself, as in this passage. I should understand it here a bill of 
defence, rather than of complaint, as Ges. explains it. Job hardly goes 
so far as to offer to bring a bill of complaint against God. It is more 
probable that he offers a bill of defence, and invites the Deity to answer 



188 NOTES. 

hiiQ, i. e. to refute what he has said in his defence, if he can, and to bring 
what charges he can against him. — And let mine adversary, fyc. : i. e. 
Let the Almighty, as adversary or opponent in court, charge me with any 
sins on account of which I suffer my extraordinary afflictions. 

36. Truly I would wear it upon my shoulder, §c. : i. e. Instead of 
being ashamed of it, or endeavoring to conceal it, I would wear it as an 
ornament about my person. I would glory in it, as affording me the long 
desired opportunity of vindicating my character. 

37. — all my steps : i. e. the whole course of my life. — / would ap- 
proach him like a prince : i. e. with confidence and cheerfulness, as being 
conscious of innocence, and not as a self-condemned malefactor, as I am 
regarded by my friends. 

38 - 40. It is not improbable that these verses have accidentally been 
-transferred from their original place in the chapter, and that the speech 
of Job ended with verse 37. The natural place for the passage, according 
to modern ideas of arrangement, would be after verse 23, or 25. 

38. — cry out against me : i. e. to God for vengeance, because I have 
obtained it from its rightful owners by fraud or violence. See Gen. iv. 10; 
Hab. ii. 11. —bewail together : i. e. of my injustice in keeping the land 
dishonestly acquired. 

39. — without payment : i. e. without paying the price which I promised 
to give the owner of the land. Or, without paying the laborers their 
wages. — And wrung out the life of its owners : Literally, caused the life 
of the owners to breathe forth: i. e. by depriving them of their land; 
drained their life-blood, as we should say. The common version gives the 
literal meaning of the words. But the expression is probably hyperbolical, 
meaning to inflict great distress. 

40. — noxious weeds : n#N3, from #K3> to have a bad smell. So the 

r : r - T 

ChakL 






XXI. 



With chapter thirty-second commences a new division of the poem, the 
design of which seems to be to prepare the way for the appearance of the 
Deity in the latter part of it. A new speaker is introduced, of whose 
extraction, and of whose motives for renewing the debate, an account is 
given in the first five verses. In the last chapter Job had triumphantly 
closed his defence against the accusations of hia friends, and they are 



NOTES. 189 

now represented as renouncing the discussion with hhn, 4i because he 
was righteous in his own eyes; " that is, because he contended that he 
had been guilty of no wickedness which could call down upon him the 
heavy vengeance of God. Elihu now steps forward, as a sort of mediator, 
or arbiter in the controversy. He expresses his dissatisfaction with 
both parties ; with Job, " because he had pronounced himself righteous, 
rather than God," that is, because he had defended so vehemently the 
justice of his own cause, that he seemed in some measure to arraign the 
justice of God ; and with the three friends " because they had not found 
an answer, and yet had condemned Job; " that is, they had concluded, in 
their own minds, that Job was impious and wicked, although they had 
nothing specific to object against his assertions of his own innocence, or 
upon which they might safely ground their accusation. 

Elihu professes, after a slight prefatory mention of himself, to reason 
with Job, unbiassed either by favor or resentment. He therefore reproves 
Job from his own mouth, because he had attributed too much to himself ; 
because he had insisted too strongly upon his freedom from guilt and de- 
pravity; because he had presumed to contend with God, and had not 
scrupled to insinuate that the Deity was hostile to him. He asserts that it 
is not necessary for God to explain and develop his counsels to men; that 
he takes many occasions of admonishing them, not only by visions and 
revelations, but also by the visitations of his providence, by sending 
calamities and diseases upon them, in order to repress their arrogance, and 
turn them from those evil purposes which would end in their ruin. He 
seems to regard afflictions, not as punishment for past offences, nor as 
evidence of a guilty character; but rather as preventives of those sins 
which the best men sometimes commit, and as salutary discipline for the 
corection of those faults of which a man may be unconscious, until his 
attention is awakened by adversity. Ch. xxxiii. He next rebukes Job, 
because he had pronounced himself innocent, and affirmed that God had 
acted inimically, if not unjustly, towards him. He brings forward various 
considerations to show that the Governor of the world can do nothing in- 
consistent with justice and benevolence. From these considerations he 
infers the duty of a man in Job's situation. Ch. xxxiv. He then objects 
to Job, that, from the miseries of the good and the prosperity of the 
wicked, he has falsely and perversely concluded that there is no advantage 
to be derived from the practice of virtue. On the- contrary, he affirms, 
that, when the afflictions of the just continue, it is because they do not 
place a proper confidence in God, ask relief at his hands, patiently expect 
it, nor demean themselves before him with becoming humility and sub= 
mission. This observation alone, he adds, very properly, (xxxv. 4,) is at 
once a sufficient reproof of the contumacy of Job, and a full refutation of 
the unjust suspicions of his friends. Ch. xxxv. Lastly, he explains the 



190 NOTES. 

purposes of the Deity in chastening men, which are, in general, to prove 
and amend them, to repress their arrogance, to afford him an opportunity 
of exemplifying his justice upon the obstinate and rebellious, and of show- 
ing favor to the humble and obedient. He supposes God to have acted in 
this manner towards Job ; on this account he exhorts him to humble him- 
self before his righteous Judge, to beware of appearing obstinate or con- 
tumacious in his sight, and of relapsing into a repetition of his sin. He 
entreats him, from the contemplation of the divine power and majesty, to 
endeavor to retain a proper reverence for the Almighty, and to submit to 
his mysterious allotments. Ch. xxxvi., xxxvii. To these frequently in- 
termitted and often repeated admonitions of Elihu, Job makes no reply. 
Lowth. Bouillier observes that Elihu did not hit upon the precise cause 
of Job's afflictions, though he gave a more rational conjecture than the 
three friends of Job. Thus one purpose of the poet is answered, viz. that 
of showing, that it is better to submit to the wisdom of Providence than 
curiously to pry into it. 

Ch. XXXIL 2. Then was kindled the wrath. These expressions do 
not mean that he was in a passion. They are the strong Oriental manner 
of denoting high disapprobation. At most, they signify no more than a 
becoming warmth. Scott. — Elihu . . . the Buzite. We know nothing 
more of Elihu than is here mentioned. Buz was the second son of Nahor, 
the brother of Abraham; and the city of this name, probable derived 
from the same family, is mentioned in Jer. xxv. 23, in conjunction with 
Dedan, which we know to have been in Idumaea. Good. 

4. — till Job had spoken : Supply, and his three friends. 

8. — the spirit in man. By supposing fl-H to mean the divine. spirit, 

so as to be synonymous with the inspiration of the Almighty, in the other 
clause of the verse, the parallelism is preserved, and a sense well suited 
to the connection afforded. Having said, in the preceding verse, that he 
had expected to find wisdom in age and in experience, he now intimates 
that he is disappointed; that he finds that wisdom is not the attribute of 
age or station; that it is the gift of God; and that what is denied to the 
great and the aged may be found in a youth. The expressions the 
spirit, and the inspiration of the Almighty, may denote the divine gift of 
natural genius and endowments, or extraordinary illumination from the 
Father of lights. The connection seems to be in favor of the latter sense 
here. The ancients used to ascribe all extraordinary endowments to divine 
assistance. Thus in Homer, a person is wise by the assistance of Minerva, 
&c. Milton has a similar sentiment in the preface to the Reason of Church 
Government, urged against Prelaty : " And if any man think I under- 
take a task too difficult for my years, I trust, through the supreme en- 



NOTES. 191 

lightening assistance, far otherwise ; for my years, be they few or many, 
what imports its ? So they bring reason, let that be looked on." Some 
render the verse thus : 

There is, indeed, a spirit in man, 

Bat it is the inspiration of the Almighty that giveth understanding. 

13. God must conquer him, not man : i. e. Do not excuse your ceasing 
to reply, by alleging that the wisest course which can be taken with Job 
is to leave him to be humbled by God, as being too obstinate to be re- 
claimed by man. So Scott, though not with the best taste, 

Say not, " 'Tis wisdom that we leave to God 
To humble this stiff sinner with his rod ! ' ' 

Otherwise, God hath thrust him down, not man : i. e. Say not that ye have 
gone to the root of the matter, and proposed an unanswerable argument 
against Job, and proved him to be a bad man, by the assertion that his 
misery is inflicted by a just God. So Merc. 

14. And with speeches like yours will I not answer him. Their 
speeches were levelled against his whole moral character, aiming to pro~e 
him a wicked man from the similarity of his sufferings to those of noto- 
riously wicked men. Elihu takes another course. He limits his censure 
to Job's answers in this dispute. He fixes upon some of the most obnox- 
ious passages, such as seemed to betray too high conceit of his own virtue, 
want of respect to God, and dishonorable sentiments of Providence, and 
takes occasion from these passages to vindicate the divine goodness, equity, 
and justice. Scott. 

15. They were confounded ! §c. Elihu here ridicules the friends of 
Job, because they were unable to answer him. Some suppose that Elihu 
here addresses an audience who were listening to the discussion, and de- 
sires them to observe the confusion of the three friends. There is no 
objection to this explanation, except that it is unnecessary. For the third 
person is often used for the first or second in Hebrew poetry, and particu- 
larly when censure or contempt is expressed. See ch. xih. 28, xviii. 
4, xli. 9. 

18. The spirit within : i. e. My soul, which is full of ardor, and 
powerfully impelled to make known my views. 

19. Like bottles of new wine : literally, new bottles. These bottles, 
being made of skin, were liable to burst, when they had become old, and 
were filled with new wine. See Mat. ix. 17. 

21. I will not be partial, §c. : i. e. I will deliver my sentiments with 
freedom and impartiality. 

22. — take me away : i. e. destroy me. 



192 NOTES. 



Ch. XXXIII. 3. — knowledge purely : This may mean that he utters 
what he knows sincerely, or that he gives a true view of the subject. 

4. The spirit of God made me, §c. : i. e. I am thy fellow-creature, de- 
pendent like thee upon God, and therefore fit to discourse with thee upon 
equal terms. 

6. Behold, I, like thee, am a creature of God. Lit. /, like thee, am. 
hy God, i. e. created by God. This meaning accords with that of the 
parallel clause. He intimates that Job might engage him upon equal 
terms, having nothing to fear but the strength of his arguments. 

7. Behold, my terror, fyc. : i. e. You are in no danger of being con- 
founded by the terror of my appearance, or of being borne down by the 
weight of my authority. In order to see the force of this declaration , we 
must call to mind the bold challenge of Job in ch. ix. 34, 35, xiii. 20 - 22. 

9. I am pure, and without transgression. Job had not used these 
very expressions, but he had used others equivalent to them, in ch. ix. 
30, x. 7, xiii. 23, xvi. 17. 

10. Behold, he sceketh causes of hostility against me, fyc. See Ges. 
upon riXOJlj and Ros. He refers to the language of Job in ch. xiii. 24, 

t : 

25, xiv. 16, 17,xix. 11. 

11. He putteth my feet, fyc. See ch. xiii. 27. 

12. Behold, in this thou art not right : i. e. Your language to the 
Deity is wholly inexcusable. It is inconsistent with the reverence which 
is due to so great a Being. — God is greater than man. " This is one 
of those expressions which imply much more than is expressed. There is 
a kind of ironical castigation in it. As if he had said, " You talk to God 
as an equal ; but methinks he is somewhat superior to us." Scott. 

13. Why dost thou, $c. To convince Job how culpable his behavior 
is, Elihu argues that it is irreverent and fruitless. God, says he, will 
never stoop to defend his measures against murmurers, nor will he com- 
municate the reasons of them to those who cavil at his dispensations. 
Scott. 

14. For God speaketh, fyc. He alleges another argument against 
striving with God. There is no just cause for it. God has sufficiently 
manifested his goodness and care of mankind, by the methods which he 
takes to show them their duty, to recover them from their wanderings, 
and thereby to save them from destruction. Scott. 

16. — sealeth up, §c. : i. e. secretly admonishes them. 

17. And hide pride from, man. Pride may comprehend insolence 
towards God and towards man. But I apprehend that Elihu had his eye 
on the former ; and that he glances at Job's too high opinion of his own 
rectitude and merit, which gave rise to his complaints against God. 
Scott. 



NOTES. 193 

18,22. — his life — his soid. These words denote the person himself, 
and are equivalent to the personal pronoun he. See Stuart's Gram. § 186. 

22. — the destroyers : i. e. angels of death, or the instruments or cai^es 
of death generally. 

23. — a messenger, an interpreter : V'Sd TttSo. Some render these 

words a mediating angel, so called from being the medium of communica- 
tion between God and man. As Satan is represented as going round the 
earth, and accusing the pious before God, it is said to be natural that 
good angels should be employed on errands of mercy. This may be the 
true meaning. But as a prophet or religious teacher is often called by 
this name, (see Eccl. v. 6 ; Hag. i. 13 ; Mai. ii. 7,) and is the usual per- 
son employed for the instruction of men, it is most probable that such a 
person is denoted here. Elihu may refer to himself, and to the office 
which he was then performing towards Job. Throughout his speech he is 
represented as thinking very hisrhly of himself, and I am persuaded that 
he was thinking of himself here. — an interpreter : i. e. a teacher, one 
who makes known the will of God. — one of a thousand : i.e. a rare 
person, one well qualified to be a religious monitor. See Eccl. vii. 28. 
— his duty : i. e. what reason and religion require of a man in his situa- 
tion ; repentance, submission, and prayer to God for pardon. In Cran= 
mer's Bible, to show him the right way. The instruction is supposed to 
be etfectual, as appears from the following verses. 

24. — aryl say, Save him : i. e. he shall be saved. — I nave found a 
ransom : i. e. I am satisfied with his repentance ; he has been sufficiently 
humbled by his afflictions. Whatever is a means of averting punishment, 
or of procuring deliverance from evil, and conciliating the divine favor, is 
termed in Scripture a ransom, or atonement. The intercession of Moses 
and the act of Phineas are so called, and here the sick man's repentance. 
See Ex. xxxii. 30 ; Numb. xxv. 13. So Ecclesiasticus xxxv. 3, " To 
depart from wickedness is a thing pleasing to the Lord ; and to forsake 
unrighteousness is a propitiation " {ttilaauhc). 

26. — to see his face, fyc. : i. e, to enjoy his favor. The expression is 
borrowed from Oriental ideas respecting kings and great men ; to be 
admitted into whose presence, or to see whose faces, was esteemed a mark 

of favor, a privilege. find restore unto man his innocence ; i. e. regard 

and treat him as innocent. 

27. He shall sing. See Ges. upon Yttf. 

29. Time after time : lit. Twice and thrice. The Sept. renders it, 
o<Wc roefc, three ways, referring to three ways in which men are said to 
be admonished, viz. by dreams, ver. 15, by sickness, ver. 19, and by a 
religious teacher, ver. 23. 

17 



194 NOTES. 

Ch. XXXIV. 6. — I am made a liar : i. e. I am regarded as a wicked 
man on account of my misery, notwithstanding my innocence. See ch. 
xvi. 8. — My wound, §c. See ch. ix. 17. 

8. Who goeth in company, fyc. : i. e, Who speaks like the wicked 
men, who call Providence in question. 

" Marmoreo tumulo Licinus jacet, at Cato nullo ; 
Pompeius parvo. Quis putet esse Deos ? " 

9. A man hath no advantage, fyc. Job had not used this language, 
but in ch. ix. 22, and ch. xxi., he had expressed nearly the same senti- 
ment. 

13. Who hath given him the charge, §c. Elihu's first argument, to 
prove that God cannot be unjust, is taken from his independence. Were 
God a subordinate governor, he might be tempted to commit injuries, to 
gratify the avarice or resentment of his superior. Scott. 

14. Should he set his heart against man : i. e. Should he deal severely 
with him. His second argument is from the divine benevolence. If God 
were unjust, revengeful, and cruel, the earth would be a dreadful scene 
of universal desolation. So in Wisdom of Sol. xi. 24-26, "For thou 
lovest all things that are, and abhorrest nothing which thou hast made ; 
for never wouldst thou have made anything, if thou hadst hated it. And 
how could anything have endured, if it had not been thy will ; or been 
preserved, if not called by thee ? But thou sparest all ; for they are thine, 
Lord, thou lover of souls ! " Others render the line, If he had regard 

for himself alone. 

17. Shall he, that hateth justice, govern ? The argument is similar to 
that of Abraham, " Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right ? " Gen. 
xvii. 25. If God were unjust, there would be nothing but disorder and 
confusion in the world. 

19. How much less, $c. So Wisdom of Sol vi. 7,8, " For he who is 
Lord over all shall fear no man's person, neither shall he stand in awe of 
any man's greatness ; for he hath made the small and great, and careth 
for all alike. But a sore trial shall come upon the mighty." 

20. — yea, at midnight, fyc. The allusion seems to be to some capital 
city overthrown by an earthquake. — and pass away : i. e. into the grave. 
— without hand : i. e. by no human hand ; by the invisible power of God. 
See Lam. iv. 6 ; Dan. ii. 34. 

23. He needeth not attend long to a man : lit. He doth not fix his 
mind long upon a man; )^h being understood after . 0^. So Ges., 

Dathe, and.Ros. The circumstance is mentioned to illustrate the omni- 
science of God, and the suddenness with which he often inflicts punish- 
ment. He, in whose sight all things are naked and open, has no need of 



NOTES. 195 

a long*and formal examination into a man's character before he proceeds 
to punish him. 

24. — without inquiry : i. e. without judicial investigation, such as must 
be resorted to by men. 

26. In the presence, $c. ; lit. In the place of spectators. 

28. And caused, $c. Others render, So that he (God) caused the cry 
of the poor to come, upon them. 

29. And when he hideth his face, who can behold him ? i. e. When he 
withdraws his favor, who can expect or obtain help from him ? 

31, 32. It is observed by Scott that the petition and confession, which 
Elihu recommends to Job, would be highly improper for one who knows 
himself to be guilty of heinous crimes, but highly fit for a person who, 
though good in the main, has reason to suspect somewhat amiss in his 
temper and conduct, for which God is displeased with him. It appears 
plainly that Elihu did not suppose Job to be a wicked man, suffering for 
his oppressions, bribery, inhumanity, and impiety, with which his three 
friends had charged him. 

33. — and not he: lit. and not I; by Mimesis. See Glass, p. 315; 
Stuart's Gram. § 212 ; ch. xviii. 4; xxxv. 3. 

36. — i. e. that he may not cease to be tried with afflictions, until he is 
humble or penitent. 

Ch. XXXV. 2. I am more righteous than God. Job had not used 
these words, but this was the amount of his complaints against God, and 
his justification of himself. See ch. ix. 30-35, x. 15. 

3. He had already brought the charge contained in this verse, in ch. 
xxxiv. 9. But there he censured the complaint of Job, as an arraign- 
ment of the justice of God. Here it is considered as implying that God 
was under obligation to him. The charge is, that Job had in effect said : 
I have been more just to God than he hath been to me. I have discharged 
my duty to him, but have not met with a proper return from him. My 
innocence hath been of no advantage to me. Elihu replies, first, that so 
great a Being cannot possibly be hurt by the sins, or benefited by the 
services of men; and, secondly, that our vice and virtue can harm or 
profit our fellow-mortals only. Scott. 

4. — thy companions : i. e. those who entertain the same unworthy 
sentiments of God and his providence. 

5. Look up to the heavens, §c. This is a sublime sentiment in a plain 
dress. One view, says he, of the magnificent scenery of the lofty sky will 
extinguish all low conceptions of its almighty Author. It will strike the 
mind with a vast idea of his infinite superiority to all other beings, and of 
the impossibility of his gaining or suffering by the good or bad behavior 
of his reasonable creatures. Scott. 



196 NOTES. 

9, The oppressed cry out, Sfc, He now passes to another topic, viz. 
Job's complaint of God's disregard of the numerous oppressions committed 
in the world, the authors of which he suffers to escape with impunity. 
Elihu replies, that when God avenges not the oppressed it is owing to their 
want of piety. He neglects them, because they neglect him. They mur- 
mur, bat they do not pray. They are clamorous, but they are not humble. 
This seems an oblique hint to Job that the continuation of his sufferings 
was owing to his unsubmitting behavior. Scott. 

10. Who giveth songs in the night. Songs are thanksgivings to God 
for deliverance. The term night metaphorically denotes affliction, as in 
ch. xxxiv. 25. 

14. Much less : i. e. shalt thou be heard. He alludes to the complaints 
of Job in ch. xxiii. 8, &c. — Justice is with him y #c. : i. e. Although 
thou complainest that God does not appear to thee for thy deliverance, yet 
be assured that thy cause is known to him, and that thou shalt receive 
justice from him, if thou wilt only commit thyself to him. 

15. transgressions. See Ges. upon #3. naqanrama^ Sept. and Theodo- 

tion ; fiaQajiTajuara, Symmachus ; scelus, Vulg. Dr. Durell thinks 
#33 to be a corruption for JM#33. Some suppose that he refers to the 

transgressions of Job by this expression, particularly to his irreverent 
speeches, &c. Others, that he refers to the transgressions of the wicked, 
which Job had asserted to be committed with impunity. 

Ch. XXXVI. 3. / will bring my knowledge from afar : i. e. from 
remote times, places, and things. I will not confine my discourse to thy 
particular case, but will justify God by declaring his great and glorious 
works of creation and providence, both in heaven and earth, and his 
manner of dealing with men in other parts and ages of the world. Poole. 

4 t A man of sound knowledge. Elihu refers to himself, and means 
that be is unbiassed by prejudice, and will not seek to baffle Job by 
sophistical arguments. 

6. — but despiseth not any. He may refer to Job's expressions in ch. 
x. 3, &c. 

12. — the sword : i. e. the sword of divine justice. 

13. — treasure up wrath. This may mean that they retain anger, or 
persevere in the exercise of angry feelings, or that they treasure up the 
wrath of God against them. See Rom. ii. 5. — when he bindeth them: 
i. e. bringeth affliction upon them. See verse 8. 

14. with the unclean. D'ttf"lp3. See Ges. ad verb. 

20. — that Night: i.e. the night of death, lie warns him against 
impatient wishes for death, and murmuring against God. 

21. But let thy sufferings teach thee caution, and make thee afraid to 



NOTES. . 197 

go on to provoke offended justice ; for thou hast done it too much already, 
in choosing rather to accuse divine Providence than to submit patiently to 
his chastisements. Patrick. 

22. Who is a teacher like him ? tic yao ton hut uvrbv dwuortjg ; 
Sept. Et nullus ei similis in legislatoribus. Vulg. The object of the 
remaining portion of Elihu's discourse appears to be to convince Job of 
his ignorance of the ways of Providence, by his ignorance of the works of 
creation, and to humble him for finding fault with what he did not, and 
could not, understand. 

24. — his work : i. e. that which he does in the natural world, accord- 
ing to the following description. — celebrate with songs. n*V#. See ch. 

Xxxiii. ; 27. de quo cecinerunt viri. Vulg. quod laudaverunt viri jus'i. 
Chald. See Schult. and £es. 

27. — i dravjeth up the drops of water : i. e. by means of the sun, which 
changes water into vapor, and causes it to ascend into the air. — Which 
distil rain : i. e. These minute particles of water, drawn up by the sun 
in the form of vapor, for m, or, more literally, pour out, rain. 

29. And the rattling of his pavilion: i. e. the thunder. By his 
pavilion, or tabtrnaclp, the clouds are intended. See Ps. xviii. 11. 

30. — his light. See Ps. civ. 2. — And he clotheth himself with the 
depths of the sea : i. e. which he draws up to heaven, and forms into the 
dark clouds which are his habitation, riy is to be supplied from the pre- 
ceding line. Comp. ver. 32. Otherwise, And he covereth the bottom of 
the sea : i. e. with darkness. The power of God in the highest and the 
lowest regions is denoted. 

31. By these : i. e. the clouds, rain, foe. 

33. His thunder, fyc. Lit. His noise maketh known concerning 
him, Yea, to the herds concerning him, who ascendeth on high. i. e. 
the thunder proclaims God even to the herds as he ascends in the tempest. 
This rendering adopted by Ges., Hitzig, and De Wette, seems closer to the 
original than any previous one. Though not entirely satisfactory, it 
may be accepted as the most probable. 

Ch. XXXVII. 1. At this, i. e. the thunder, lightning, &c, of which 
he was speaking. 

2.- Hear, fyc. Some suppose, that, while Elihu was speaking, thunder 
is represented as being heard, and the tempest as begun, from which the 
Deity was about to address Job. 

4. And restraineth it not : i. e The lightning. 

7. He sealeth up, $c. : i. e. The labors of the field are interrupted in 
consequence of these heavy and continual rains, and the husbandmen 
remain at home, with their hands, as it were, in their bosom. ■— men whom 
IT * 



198 NOTES. 

he hath made: lit. men of his work. — may acknowledge him; or may 
have knowledge ; viz. of their dependence upon the mighty power of God ; 
or, that it is he who commands the snow, &c. 

9. — the South : lit. the secret chamber. See ix. 9. 

10. — breath of God. The air seems to have been regarded as put in 
motion by the breath of God, and hence this appellation is given to the 
wind, here a cold wind. When the ice is formed, the water is regarded as 
contracted ; or what remains of it is brought into a narrower compass. 
But some regard the parallelism of this verse as antithetical, and suppose 
the meaning to be that the breath of God forms ice by cold winds, and 
dries up the waters by hot winds, like the Simoon. 

12. They move about : i. e. The clouds, rain, lightning, &c. 

13. Or for the land: i. e what is necessary, in the course of nature, 
for fertilizing the earth. 

16. — the balancing of the clouds: i. e. how the clouds are suspended 
in the air in such a variety of forms, and are not borne to the ground by the 
weight of water which they contain. From our ignorance of the works of 
nature, Elihu infers our incapacity of judging of the divine counsels. The 
same kind of reasoning is pursued in the Essay on Man : 

Presumptuous man ! the reason wouldst thou find, 
Why formed so weak, so little, and so blind? 
Ask of thy mother earth, why oaks were made 
Taller or stronger than the weeds they shade. 
Or ask of yonder argent fields above, 
Why Jove's satellites are less than Jove. 

18. — firm like a molten mirror. It must be recollected that mirrors 
in ancient times were made of metal highly polished. It may be asked, 
what conception the author of Job entertained respecting the sky, which 
led him to describe it as firm like a molten mirror. It has been thought 
that in the book of Genesis the firmament, or blue vault of heaven, is 
represented as a solid surface, in which the stars are fixed at equal dis- 
tances from the earth. The chief support of that opinion is, I think, to be 
derived not so much from the Hebrew term itself, as from the circum- 
stance that a body of waters, like a sea or ocean, seems to be represented 
as resting upon the firmament, which God made. Comp. Ps. cxlviii. 4. 
The Hebrew term JTiT), firmament, may denote a solid body, as it were, 

hammered out, or, secondarily, any substance spread out. See Ges. Lex. 
ad verb. 

19. Teach us, ^c. This seems to be addressed to Job ironically, by 
way of reproof for his presumption ; as if he had said, We should like to 
learn from you, you are so well acquainted with the character and pur- 



NOTES. 199 

poses of God, in what manner we should address him or discourse with 
him. — darkness : i. e. the darkness of our minds, or of the subject, 
or both. 

20. If I should speak, fyc. : i. e. Will any one venture to repeat to 
him my discourses, if I undertake to complain of the ways of Providence ? 
If any one should carry my complaints to his ear, he would certainly be 
destroyed for his rashness. 

21. If the splendor of the firmament, illuminated by the sun, is too 
bright for man to behold, how can he endure the glorious majesty of its 
Author ? 

22. From the North cometh gold. This is the literal rendering, and, 
as the ancients regarded the regions of the North as the peculiar place for 
gold, Herod. III. 116, Plin. Nat. Hist. 6, 11, 33, 4, we need not seek a 
figurative sense, however well such a sense might meet the connection. 
It is rather harsh to use gold to denote golden brightness : harsher still to 
make the North denote the Northern hemisphere, or sky. The idea is 
that men can find out where gold is even in the most distant regions, and 
procure it ; but cannot comprehend God, or endure his majesty. Comp. 
ch. xxviii. 

23. The Almighty, §c. This sentiment seems to be the conclusion of 
the whole discourse in vindication of God. We know but very little of his 
nature and designs, and it is wrong to censure what we do not understand 
in his dispensations ; especially, since we have abundant proof of his jus- 
tice and goodness. — he doth not oppress : otherwise, he giveth no account 
of his doings, Sfc. Instead of nJJJ'S some ancient and valuable mauscripts 

read H}jr« See xxxiii. 13. 

24. Upon the wise in heart he will not look : i. e. who confide too much 
in their wisdom. I prefer the present rendering of this ambiguous line, 
because it better suits the parallelism. Otherwise, When none of the wise 
in heart can behold : i. e. they cannot endure the brightness of his majesty, 
See Ros. ad loc. 



XXII. 

Whilst Elihu was yet speaking, Jehovah himself is represented as in- 
terposing, and addressing Job from the midst of a tempest. He does not, 
however, at first, address him in the language of encouragement and ap- 
probation, which Job's consciousness of integrity had led him to anticipate. 
Job had defended a good cause in an improper manner. The design of 
this discourse of the Almighty is, therefore, to reprove his complaints re- 



200 NOTES. 

specting the ways of Providence ; to bring him into a • proper temper -of 
mind, and thus to prepare the way for his final vindication. Jehovah 
does not condescend to explain or vindicate the ways of his providence, 
but aims to convince Job of his inability to judge of them. He requires 
him, who had spoken so rashly of the divine counsels, to give an expla- 
nation of some of the works of nature which are constantly presented to 
his view ; of the nature and structure of the earth, the sea, the light, and 
the animal kingdom. If he were unable to explain any one of the most 
common phenomena of nature, it followed that he was guilty of great pre- 
sumption in finding fault with the secret counsels and moral government 
of God. He then pauses for an answer from Job. 

Ch. XXXVIII. 2. — that darkeneth counsel : viz. my counsels or pur- 
poses, i. e. speaketh of them in an obscure, erroneous, and improper man- 
ner. Gesenius supposes that to darken is a metaphorical expression for 
to censure. 

7. When the morning-stars, $c. It was the custom to celebrate the 
laying of the corner-stone of an important building with music, songs, 
shouting, &c. See Zech. iv. 7 ; Ezra iii. 10, 11. Hence the morning-stars 
are represented as celebrating the laying of the corner-stone of the earth. 
Ihey are called morning-stars on account of the greater brightness which 
they have just before the dawn. Some suppose that morning-stars denote 
angels, and that the expression has the same meaning as sons of God in 
the next line. 

12. Hast thou, in thy life, given charge to the morning, $c. The 
transition from the sea to the morning is not so abrupt as it appears. For 
the ancients supposed that the sun sets in the ocean, and at his rising 
comes out of it again. The morning and day-spring seem to mean the 
same thing ; and the regularity of the appearance of the morning in the 
east is here referred to. 

13. That they should lay hold, §c. The first light of the sun, as it 
strikes upon the verge of the horizon, is represented as laying hold of the 
ends of the earth, and shaking the wicked out of it, as dust from a sack ; 
light being hostile to thieves and malefactors of every kind, as darkness 
is favorable to them. See ch. xxiv. 14-17 

14. // is changed, fyc : i. e. The earth, which in the darkness of night 
is a mere blank, but which, when illuminated by the sun, exhibits a great 
variety of beautiful objects, and appears like sealing-clay which has receiv- 
ed the stamp of the seal. — And all things stand .forth as in rich apparel. 
See Cocc. Comment., and Ges. upon #oS. Otherwise, And they (the 

morning and day-spring) come forth as a garment upo'i it. 

15. — their light is withheld. Darkness is the light of the wicked, i. e. 
that which enables them to accomplish their evil designs, Thus the 



NOTKS. 201 

strength and courage of the wicked are prostrated by the light, which 
discovers their evil practices. 

17. — gates of death: i. e. of hades, the under-world. 

19, 20. For similar conceptions see Hesiod, Theog, 748. 

24. — light : i. e. the light of the rising sun, which, in a moment, as it 
were, pervades and illuminates the whole hemisphere. 

27. The word X¥*D probably denotes growth, not bud, and may be 

T 

omitted in the connection. Literally, And cause the growth of the tender 
herb to spring forth. 

31. — fasten the bunds, fyc. Here HUIJJD is supposed to be by metathe- 
sis the same as JTTUJJO, from "\^, to tie, to bind. In support of this ren- 
dering, Ges. observes that the Asiatic poets often speak of the band of the 
Pleiades. The Sept. has it, Sso^bv nXetudog- and the Chald., ■■Ytf, chains. 

— the Pleiads (in Hebrew, Chimah : i. e. a heap, a term corresponding 
to what we call a cluster) are a constellation in the sign Taurus, and make 
their appearance early in the spring ; hence they were called by the Ro- 
mans Vergilice. — : Orion (Chesil, in Heb., i. e. the fool, or impious one) 
made its appearance early in the winter, and was considered the precursor 
of storms and tempests, and is hence called by Virgil nimbosus Orion. 
Mn. I. 535. According to the rendering sweet influences, as in the com- 
mon version, the meaning is, Canst thou forbid the sweet flowers to come 
forth, when the Seven Stars arise in the spring ? or open the earth for the 
husbandman's labor, when the winter season, at the rising of Orion, ties 
up their hands ? Patrick. But the purport of the questions evidently is 
to ask Job whether his power could do what is actually done by the 
Almighty. 

32. — the Signs. HVITD, equivalent to niS-TD, lodgings, viz. of the sun, 

T - T — 

in the twelve successive months of his course ; thus denoting the twelve 
signs of the zodiac. — the Bear with his sons. Bear is not the literal 
meaning of the Hebrew tyy, which rather denotes a bier, which is the 

name given by the modern Arabians to the constellation of the Great 
Bear. They also call the three stars in its tail daughters of the bier. Here 
these three stars are called sons. See Niebuhr's Description of Arabia, 
pp. 113, 114. 

33. — ordinances of the heavens : i. e. the laws regulating the places, 
motions, and operations of the heavenly bodies. — their dominion : i. e. 
the influence which they have in producing the changes of the seasons. 

36. The transition from the phenomena of the heavens to the mind of 
mm appeared so great, that in the first edition I departed, with others, 
from the usual meaning of the words, rendering this verse, Who hath im*> 



202 NOTES. 

parted understanding to clouds, and given to meteors intelligence ? the 
words being supposed to denote the regularity of the clouds in coming and 
guingv, and affording the due proportion of rain to the earth. I now re^ 
gard the rendering clouds and meteors tar too uncertain to be adopted. 
For rnnD plainly denotes reins, in Ps. H. 8 Besides, if we suppose the 

reference to be to the mind of Job in particular, the intelligence with 
which he was able to see and admire all the phenomena which had been 
recounted, the transition will not appear 30 very violent. See Ges. Lex. 
ad verb. m'rUO and *X$P. 

37. Who number eth the clouds, Sfc. The collecting and arrangement 
of the clouds is expressed by a metaphor taken from a civil or military 
enrolment. See Ps. cxlvii. 4 ; 2 Sam. xxiv. 10. The clouds are meta- 
phorically called bottles, as containing rain. 

38. — flows into a molten mass : i. e. when, on account of the copious 
rains, the dry dust melts, as it were, into one mass. 

41. — the raven. Bochart observes that the raven expels his young 
from the nest as soon as they are able to fly. In this condition, being un- 
able to Obtain food by their own exertions, they make a croaking noise, 
and God is said to hear it, and to supply their wants. 

Ch. XXXIX. 1. — wild goats : i. e. the ibex or mountain-goat. It is, 
no doubt, the same kind of goat as that described by Burckhardt, in his 
Travels in Syria, p. 571. : " As we approached the summit of the moun- 
tain, (St. Catherine, adjacent to Mount Sinai,) we saw at a distance a 
small flock of mountain-goats feeding among the rocks. One of our Arabs 
left us, and by a widely circuitous route endeavored to get to the leeward 
of them, and near enough to fire at them ; he enjoined us to remain in 
sight of them, and to sit down in order not to alarm them. He had nearly 
reached a favorable spot behind a rock, when the goats suddenly took to 
flight. They could not have seen the Arab ; but the wind changed, and 
thus they smelt him. The chase of the beden, as the wild goat is called, 
resembles that of the chamois of the Alps, and requires as much enterprise 
and patience." 

3. — their pains : i. e. their young, which cause their pains. 

5. The following account of the wild ass is given in Robinson's Calmet; 
on the authority of the Russian professors, Pallas and Gmelin : " These 
animals inhabit the dry and mountainous parts of the deserts of Great Tar- 
tary, but not higher than about lat. 48°. They are migratory, and arrive 
in vast troops to feed, during the summer, in the tracts to the east and 
north of the sea of Aral. About autumn they collect in herbs of hun- 
dreds, and even thousands, and direct their course southward towards 
India, to enjoy a warm retreat during the winter. But they more usually 



MOTES. 203 

retire to Persia, where they are found in the mountains of Casbin, and 
where part of them remain the whole year. . . . They assemble in troops 
under the conduct of a leader or sentinel, and are extremely shy and vigi- 
lant. They will, however, stop in the midst of their course, and even 
suffer the approach of man for an instant, and then dart off with the 
utmost rapidity. They have been at all times celebrated for their swift- 
ness. Their voice resembles that of the common ass, but is shriller." 

" Xenophon says, Cyrop. Lib. I., that he has long legs, is very rapid in 
running, swift as a whirlwind, having strong and stout hoofs. . . . Martial 
gives the epithet handsome to the wild ass, * Pulcher adest onager,' L. 
xiii., Epig. 100 ; and Oppian describes it as * handsome, large, vigorous, 
of stately gait, and his coat of a silvery color, havuig a black band along 
the spine of his back ; and on his flanks patches as white as snow.' Mr. 
Morier says, ' We gave chase to two wild asses, which had so much the 
speed of our horses, that, when they had got at some distance, they stood 
still and looked behind at us, snorting with their noses in the air, as if in 
contempt of their endeavors to catch them.' " Robinson' 's Calmet. 

9t. — the wild-ox : D"H> Teem. Otherwise, the rhinoceros. See Harris's 
Nat. His. p. 421. According to others, the wild oryx. But it is probable, 
from the nature of the description, that an animal of the beeve kind is 
intended ; i. e. one which appears, from its form and strength, to be 
qualified to do the business of the tame ox. So the wild ass is, by impli- 
cation, compared with the tame, in verse 7. In other passages where it 
occurs, it is parallel with animals of the beeve kind, and is mentioned as 
having horns, whereas the rhinoceros has but one short one. See Numb, 
xxiii. 22, xxiv. 8 ; Deut. xxxiii. 17 ; Ps. xxii. 21, xxix. 6, xcii. 10 ; Is. 
xxxiv. 7. For other arguments, see a long and highly satisfactory article 
in Robinson's Calmet. 

13. The wing of the ostrich moveth joyfully. For an excellent de- 
scription of the ostrich, see Harris's Nat. His. p. 318. Dr. Shaw ob= 
serves : " When I was abroad, I had several opportunities of amusing 
myself with the actions and behavior of the ostrich. It was very divert- 
ing to observe with what dexterity and equipoise of body it would play 
and frisk about on all occasions. In the heat of the day, particularly, it 
would strut along the sunny side of the house with great majesty. It 
would be perpetually fanning and priding itself with its quivering, ex- 
panded wings, and seem, at every turn, to admire and be in love with its 
own shadow. Even at other times, when walking about, or resting itself 
on the ground, the wings would continue their fanning and vibrating 
motions, as if they were designed to mitigate and assuage that extraor- 
dinary heat wherewith their bodies seem to be naturally affected." — Bat 
is it with loving pinion and feathers ? This is the most literal meaning, 
and now most generally received by commentators on Job. The allusion 



204 NOTES. 

is to the stork, which was called the affectionate or loving bird on account 
of her extreme devotedness to her young. She was called avis pia by 
fehe Romans. But because pia is a good representative of the Hebrew 
nTDn> it does not follow th^t pious is; as some translators render it. 

The point of the allusion is, that the ostrich 5 which resembles the stork 
so much in the structure of her body and the color of her wings, should yet 
be destitute of affection for her young. 

14. — she layeth her eggs on the ground. The verb 3tyn here means, 

1 suppose, to commit to or to desposiie upon, not to abandon in. The 
meaning is, that the ostrich, instead of building her nest on some high 
rock or tree, like other birds, deposites them upon the ground, where they 
are exposed to the view of every traveller, and the foot of every wild beast. 
— She warmeth them in the dust. I do not understand the meaning to be, 
that she abandons her eggs, to be hatched by the warmth of the sun 
heating the sand or dust; but rather that she broods over them in so ex- 
posed a place. The fact is, that the ostrich usually sits upon her eggs as 
other birds do ; but then she so often wanders, and so far, in search of 
food, that frequently the eggs are addle by means of her long absence from 
them. To this account we may add, when she has left her nest, whether 
through fear, or to seek food, if she light upon the eggs of some other 
ostrich, she sits upon them and is unmindful of her own. The Arabian 
poets often allude to this peculiarity of the ostrich. The following is 
quoted from Nawabig by Schultens : 

There are, who, deaf to nature's cries, 
On stranger tribes bestow their food; 
So her own eggs the ostrich flies, 
And, senseless, rears another's brood. 

" Notwithstanding the stupidity of this animal," says Dr. Shaw, " its 
Creator hath amply provided for its safety, by endowing it with extraor- 
dinary swiftness, and a surprising apparatus for escaping from its enemy. 
1 They, when they raise themselves up for flight, laugh at the horse and 
his rider.' They afforded him an opportunity only of admiring at a dis- 
tance the extraordinary agility, and the stateliness, likewise, of their 
motions, the richness of their plumage, and the great propriety there 
was in ascribing to them an expanded, quivering wing. Nothing, 
certainly, can be more entertaining than such a sight; the wings, by 
their rapid but unwearied vibrations, equally serving them for sails and 
oars ; while their feet, no less assisting in conveying them out of sight, 
are no less insensible of fatigue." Travels, 8vo. Vol. II. p. 343. 

" The surprising swiftness of the ostrich is expressly mentioned by 
Xenophon in his Anabasis; for, speaking of the desert of Arabia, h« 



NOTES. 205 

states that the ostrich is frequently seen there ; that none could take 
them, the horsemen who pursue them soon giving it over; for they escaped 
far away, making use both of their feet to run, and of their wing?, 
when expanded, as a sail to waft them along." Robinson's Calmel. 

In regard to the proverbial stupidity of the ostrich, Dr. Shaw observes, 
that, in addition to her neglect of her young. " she is likewise incon- 
siderate and foolish in her private capacity, particularly in the choice of 
food, which is frequently highly detrimental and pernicious to it ; for she 
swallows everything greediiy and indiscriminately, whether it be pieces of 
rags, leather, wood, stone, or iron. When I was at Oran, I saw one of 
these birds swallow, without any seeming uneasiness or inconveniency, 
several leaden bullets, as they were thrown upon the floor, scorching hot 
from the mould." Shaw's Travels, 8vo. Vol. TI. p. 345. 

16. She is cruel, fyc. " On the least noise or trivial occasion," says 
Dr. Shaw, " she forsakes her eggs, or her young ones, to which perhaps 
she never returns; or if she does, it may be too late either to restore life 
to the one, or to preserve the lives of the others. Agreeable to this 
account, the Arabs sometimes meet with whole nests of these eggs undis- 
turbed; some of them are sweet and good, others are addle and corrupted; 
others, again, have their young ones of different growth, according to the 
time, it may be presumed, they have been forsaken of the dam. They 
often meet with a few of the little ones, no bigger than well-grown 
pullets, half-starved, straggling and moaning about, like so many dis- 
tressed orphans for their mother." Travels, 8vo. Vol. II. pp. 344, 345. 
This want of affection is also recorded in Lam. iv. 3. — Her labor, fyc. : 
i. e. in laying her eggs. The ostrich is naturally a timid bird, but it is 
here said that she feareih not : i. e. she has no affectionate fear for her 
young; she abandons her nest without fears of what may happen to it. 

17. — hath denied her wisdom. The Arabs have the proverbial expres- 
sion, More foolish than an ostrich. 

18. — lifteth herself up : i. e. lifteth up her head and body, and spread- 
eth her wings, in order to escape the pursuer. The expression does not 
imply that her feet quit the ground. 

19. — horse. The whole description refers to the horse as he appears 
in war. — Hast thou clothed his neck with his trembling mane ? I am 
now convinced that the rendering thunder is untenable. The neck of the 
horse must be regarded as clothed with what is addressed to the sense of 
sight. It is not a natural metaphor to represent the neck as clothed with the 
sound of neighing which comes from the mouth. The noise made by the 
horse is referred to in another line. HOJH denotes trembling, quivering, 

and is used poetically to denote the mane of a horse, which appears to 
quiver on the neck of a high-bred one on account of its fatness, or which 
is erect and trembles in the excitement of running. So the mane of a 
18 



206 NOTES. 

horse or lion is in Greek called (foprj. See Ges. Lex. ad HD^jn. Some sup- 
pose trembling to denote that which causes trembling in the spectator, 
i. e. terror. But this is harsh, and wholly against the usus loquendi in 
Hebrew. Umbreit renders the line, Hast thou clothed his neck with lofti- 
ness ? supposing the word PIDJH to be formed from the Chald. QJH, equiva- 
lent to the Hebrew D^. But this is conjecture. 

20. How majestic his snorting ! how terrible ! There may, at first view, 
appear something ludicrous in speaking of the majestic snorting of a 
horse. But let one conceive of the war-horse, and suppose, moreover, that 
he has, or will, come against him in war, and the associations will be dif- 
ferent. It is to be recollected, too, that the horse was peculiarly an object 
of terror to the Hebrews, on account of their ignorance of horsemanship. 
See Is. xxxvi. 8, and the note. Jeremiah says, ch. viii. 16, 

From Dan is heard the snorting of their horses, 
At the sound of the neighing of their steeds the whole land 
trembleth. 

See Virg. Georg. III. 85, &c. Mn. XI. 496. 

24. — he devoureth the ground. This expression is still used in Arabia 
to denote prodigious swiftness. See also Virg. Georg. III. 143. He will 
not believe, fyc> i. e. he is so full of joy when he hears the sound of the 
trumpet that he scarcely trusts his ears. Comp. ix. 16 ; xxix. 24. 

26. — towards the south. Most of the species of hawks are said to be 
birds of passage. The instinct which teaches such birds to know the 
proper time for migrating in search of food, or of a warmer climate, or 
both, is probably referred to. 

29. — discern it from afar. See Iliad, xvii. 674 : 

— coot* aitrbg, ov §a rs (pao'iv 
' OJ-vrarov dtQxEO&ai vTtovQaviwv nGTtTjvtov. 

As the bold bird , endued with sharpest eye 
Of all that wing the mid aerial sky. Pope. 



NOTES, 201 



XXIII., XXIV. 



The Almighty is now represented as pausing, and demanding of Job an 
answer to his questions, and inviting him to defend his cause. But the 
admonitions of Elihu and of the Almighty have produced their proper 
effect; Job is impressed with the most profound reverence of the majesty 
of God; he has lost that boldness and presumption with which he once 
challenged the Almighty to a controversy, and he acknowledges his weak- 
ness, and the rashness of his complaints, and bold appeals to God. But 
to make his submission and penitence more complete and impressive, the 
Almighty is represented as addressing him in a still severer tone of re- 
prehension. In reference to his boldness in desiring to enter into a con- 
troversy with him, the Deity challenges him to emulate a single exertion 
of the Divine power. He adds the description of the river-horse, and the 
crocodile, by which his power is strikingly illustrated. From the whole 
discourse it follows, that it is better for man to submit without murmuring 
to the will of so great a Being, than to contend with him, and require him 
to give an account of his doings. 

Ch. XL. 15. — the river-horse. This animal is usually mentioned by 
the ancients in connection with the crocodile, which is supposed to be 
denoted by the leviathan. The description seems to apply to the river- 
horse rather than to the elephant, in several particulars, which are well 
stated by Herder.* " In general, the description is undoubtedly that of 
an animal whose usual resort is the river, since it is introduced, as some- 
thing singular, that he eateth grass like the ox, that the mountains bring 
him forth food, and the beasts of the field play around him. He sleeps 
among the reeds, and lies concealed among the marshes on the shore of the 
river, which clearly does not suit a description of the elephant. He goes 
against the stream, as if he would drink up the river with his enormous 
mouth, a character not well fitting a land-animal. His strength too is in 
his loins, and his force is in the navel of his belly, where, on the contrary, 
the elephant is weakest. He that made him has furnished him with a 
sword; for the sharp-pointed and projecting tusks of the hippopotamus 
may be considered his weapons; and the language applies better to these 
than to the weapons of the elephant. Since, moreover, the name behemoth 

* Spirit of Hebrew Poetry, Vol. I. p. 107, Marsh's Translation. 



20S NOTES. 

itself is probably the Egyptian name of this animal, p-ehe-mouth, (river- 
ox,) here modified, as all foreign words were by the Hebrews and Greeks, 
to suit their own forms, and since, in company with the crocodile, it is 
placed apart from the land-animals, which also are arranged in a separate 
discourse by themselves, and represented, as all creatures of the watery 
realm are by the Orientals, as something foreign and monstrous, it seems 
to me that this opinion has at least a balance of probabilities in its favor, 
and will soon become the prevailing one." See Robinson's Calmet, Art. 
Behemoth, where is an interesting description, extracted from the Travels 
of Riippell, the German naturalist, of the capture of one of these animals, 
which measured from the snout to the end of the tail fifteen feet; and his 
tusks from the root to the point, along the external curve, twenty-eight 
inches. See also, in Dr. Shaw's Travels, Vol. ii. p. 294, or Montfaucon's 
Antiquities, Vol. vii. p. 476, an engraving of the mosaic pavement at Pra?- 
neste, in which the river-horse and crocodile are placed in company, the 
former being in the midst of reeds and fens, and plants, which correspond 
to the descriptions of the Egyptian lotus. 

17. — like the cedar. " The tail of the hippopotamus, although short, 
is thick, and may be compared with the cedar for its tapering, conical 
shape, and its smoothness, thickness, and strength. But although it is 
thick, short, and very firm, yet he moves and twists it at pleasure; which 
is considered, in the sacred text, a proof of his prodigious strength." 
Scheuchser. 

19. — his sword. This refers to the long, bending teeth of the animal, 
with which he, as it were, mows the grass. The a^nrj, i. e. the sickle, or 
scythe, was ascribed to this animal by some of the ancient Greek writers, 
Thus Nicander, Theriac. ver. 566, quoted by Ros. : 

31 H iTTTZOV, tov NstXog VTitQ Saiv aL&aA6sooon> 
Booxbi, ccQ0VQri(Jiv de xaxi t v InifivdliTai aQTiyv. 

In the next verse the reason of his being furnished with it is given, viz. 
that, although he was an aquatic animal, he procured his food, not from 
the rivers, but from the grassy mountains. 

21. It has been doubted whether D ll ?K¥ denotes the lote-tree, Rhamnus 

lotus, Linn., or the lote-plant, the Egyptian water-lily, which grows in 
the water, or in places overflowed by water. See note on ver. 15, and. 
Wilkinson's Customs and Manners, &c. Vol. III. p. 71. 

23. — Jordan : i. e. a river as large as the Jordan; for the river-horse 
could not have lived upon the Jordan. Undoubtedly, the author under- 
stood, that, like the crocodile, he was found upon the Nile. He mentions 
the Jordan as an instance of a great river ; and it seems to be an argu- 



NOTES. 209 

ment that the writer was a native of Palestine, and wrote for those who 
were familiar with the Jordan, that he mentions it as an instance of a 
great stream. The overflowing of it would not frighten the river-horse, 
because he was amphibious. 

Ch. XLI. 1. — the crocodile. See note on ch. iii. 8. The crocodile is 
here described in the hyperbolical style of Eastern poetry. See Harris's 
Nat. Hist, p. 245. The following description of the crocodile is from 
Shaw's Zoology, Vol. III. p. 184 : "The crocodile, so remarkable for its 
size and powers of destruction, has in all ages been regarded as one of the 
most formidable animals of the warmer regions. It is a native of Asia 
and Africa, but seems to be most common in the latter; inhabiting large 
rivers, as the Nile, the Niger, &c, and preying principally on fish, but 
occasionally seizing on almost every animal which happens to be exposed 
to its rapacity. The size to which the crocodile sometimes arrives is pro- 
digious ; specimens being frequently seen of twenty feet in length; and 
instances are commemorated of some which have exceeded the length of 
thirty feet. The armor, with which the upper part of the body is covered 
may be numbered among the most elaborate pieces of Nature's mechanism. 
In the full-grown animal it is so strong and thick as easily to repel a 
musket-ball. The whole animal appears as if covered with the most 
regular and curious carved work. The mouth is of vast width, the gape 
having a somewhat flexuous outline, and both jaws being furnished with 
very numerous, sharp-pointed teeth. The number of teeth in each jaw is 
thirty or more, and they are so disposed as to alternate with each other, 
when the mouth is closed. The legs are short, but strong and muscular. 
In the glowing regions of Africa, where it arrives at its full strength 
and power, it is justly regarded as the most formidable inhabitant of the 
rivers. It lies in wait near the banks, and snatches dogs and other 
animals, swallowing them instantly, and then plunging into the flood, and 
seeking some retired part, where it may be concealed, till hunger again 
invites it to its prey." — Or press down, fyc. : i. e. Canst thou put a cord 
into his mouth, so as to draw him with it as with a bridle ? See Ges. upon 

2. — a rope — a ring : i. e. by which he might be fastened to the land, 
after he was caught. 

5. — for thy maidens : i. e. for their amusement. 

6 — lay snares for him ? $c. : i. e. Do the fishermen in company catch 
him, and sell him like fish ? 

8. Thou will no more think of battle : i. e. thy first attack on the 
monster will have such an issue, that thou wilt not dare to try a second 

9. Behold, his hope : The third person for the second. The meaning is, 

18* 



210 NOTES. 

Thy hope (of taking him) is vain. See ch. xxxii. 15, and note. See also 
Glass. Phil. Sac. pp. 318, 647. Ed. Dath. 

13. — his garment : i.e. his skin. — his jaws : lit. his double bridle , 
which his jaws resembled. 

J 5. — shields : i. e. scales. 

18. — eyelashes of the morning. This may happen, says Schultens, 
w hen the crocodile lifts his head above water in the night. His staring 
eyes, which are the first object that strikes the beholder, may then be com- 
pared to the dawning light. The eyes of the crocodile are said to be sma... 
But, as Bochart observes, they are so remarkable, that, when the 
Egyptians would represent the morning by a hieroglyphic, they painted a 
crocodile's eye. 

19-22. Here the crocodile is described as in pursuit of his prey on 
land. His mouth is then open, his blood inflamed, his breath thrown out 
with prodigious vehemence, like volumes of smoke, and heated to such a 
degree as to seem a flaming fire. Strength and Terror are represented as 
animated beings, the one seated on his neck, and the other bounding 
before him. 

20. — heated : Lit. blown up. 

23. — flakes : L e. the pendulous parts of his flesh. 

26. — doth not hold : i. e. will not pierce him and remain fixed in him, 
but is repelled and beaten back by the excessive hardness of his skin. 

30. — potsherds. His scales are compared to fragments of broken 
earthen vessels. — thrashing-sledge. WT!. His outer skin, or coat of 

mail, is represented as rough and pointed like a thrashing-sledge. This 
was an instrument for rubbing or beating out grain upon the thrashing- 
floor. It consists of three or four rollers of wood, iron, or stone, made 
rough, and joined together in the form of a sledge or dray; and is drawn 
by oxen over the grain in order to separate the kernels from the ear. 
See Ges. ad verb. 

32. — shining path : viz. the white foam which he stirs up in his 
passage through the water. 

34. He looketh down, Sfc. : i. e. Although a reptile, he is not afraid of 
the fiercest wild beasts. 



NOTES. 211 



XXV., XXVI. 



Job is now represented as impressed with a deep sense of his presump- 
tion and irreverence in his former discourses, and expressing his penitence 
in the strongest terms of self-condemnation. The way is thus prepared 
for the vindication of the integrity and piety of Job by the Deity, and 
consequently for the decision of tbe question which had been the great 
subject of controversy. The Almighty decides that the friends of Job 
had not spoken that which was right, in contending that the misery of Job 
was inflicted by God as the punishment of his sins; and that Job had 
spoken the truth, in maintaining that no man's character can be ascertain- 
ed by his external condition. He confirms his decision by restoring him 
to his former prosperity. 

Ch. XLII. 3. Who is he, Sf-c. This is repeated from ch. xxxviii. 2, 
where the question is asked by the Deity. As if Job had said, Alas ! who 
is it, as thou sayest, that hideth, (fee. I am the presumptuous man. 

4. I will ask thee, fyc. I will no more dispute and endeavor to con- 
tend with thee with the pride of an equal, but inquire of thee with the 
humility of a scholar. The words which Jehovah had spoken to Job by 
way of challenge, ch. xxxviii. 3, and xl. 7, Job uses in the spirit of deep 
submission. 

5. — hearing of the ear — eye seen. This may mean only, that Job 
had a much more perfect knowledge of the Deity than before, as knowl- 
edge which is gained by seeing is proverbially more accurate and thorough 
than that which comes to us by the report of others. It is said that 
Jehovah spake from the whirlwind, but no visible form is mentioned. 

6. — / abhor myself: i. e. on account of my former rash speeches 
respecting thee. The general meaning will not be altered if we supply 
" it " instead of myself as the object of the verb. 

7. — ye have not spokm concerning me that which is right, as hath my 
servant Job. This language is to be understood comparatively, for Job 
has just been censured for rashly complaining of the ways of God ; and it 
is to be understood relatively, i. e. with reference to the main subject of 
discussion. They had not spoken right, in maintaining that misery is 



212 NOTES. 

always a proof of guilt, and in condemning an apparently upright and 
good man, merely because he was afflicted. They had not spoken so well, 
in supporting such a proposition, and in heaping unmerited reproach upon 
a good man, as Job had, in denying the proposition, and in maintaining 
his innocence. See Introduction, p. xx. 

10. — turned the captivity, §c. : i. e. delivered him fr^m his distress, 
and restored to him his former prosperity. 

11. — a kesita — a ring of gold : i. e. as tokens of regard. This pro- 
bably denoted a lump of silver of a certain weight. Gesenius, from «* 
comparison of Gen. xxxiii. 19, xxiii. 16, supposes it to be about 4 shekels. 

14. The names of Job's daughters have reference to their loveliness; 
Jemima denoting dove, or, as some suppose, fair as the day ; Kezia, cassia; 
and Kerenhappuch, horn of beautiful paint, i. e. beautiful as those whose 
persons are adorned to the utmost extent. 

15. — among their brethren. This, being contrary to custom, is men- 
tioned for the purpose of showing the extent of Job's wealth, as well as 
the excellence of his daughters. See Numb, xxvii. 8. 



Deacidified using the Bookkeeper process. 
Neutralizing agent: Magnesium Oxide 
Treatment Date: June 2005 

PreservationTechnologies 

A WORLD LEADER IN PAPER PRESERVATION 

1 1 1 Thomson Park Drive 
Cranberry Township. PA 1 6066 
(724)779-2111 



